The file for maintenance and replacement of old public housing has been closed

The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Engineer Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, confirmed that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, represented by the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, has made many efforts to meet the housing needs of citizens, in partnership and coordination with the relevant authorities in the country, and with the issuance of Cabinet Resolution No. (61) of 2021, which was directly keen to enable the largest number of families to benefit from government housing support, indicating that the file of maintenance of popular housing, replacement and reconstruction has been closed with a total value exceeding (2) billion. And (44) million dirhams.

He said, in a written response to a question from a member of the Council, Sultan Salem Al Zaabi, about public housing that has exceeded its expected lifespan: “In order to overcome the limited budgets allocated, explicit controls and requirements have been put in place that emphasize the necessity of the applicant not having previously obtained housing assistance from a government agency in the country, to achieve fair distribution and equal opportunities. It should also be noted that the current ownership of housing belongs to the citizen owners, and the Ministry has always been keen to spread awareness and emphasize the role of homeowners in preserving housing. The house should be paid attention to its regular maintenance and not wait for it to reach a state of deterioration.

Referring to previous efforts, Al Mazrouei explained that the benevolence of His Highness the President of the State and the inventory, inventory and inspection of all housing that were built before 1990 were aimed at maintaining, replacing and rebuilding old and dilapidated housing. In turn, the Ministry in 2012 implemented and followed up on the benevolence in coordination with the Committee to Follow Up the Implementation of the Initiatives of His Highness the Head of State.

He added: “The Ministry has also been keen, since the beginning of the blessing, to follow up and urge citizens to update their data and submit the necessary documents in this regard to be able to benefit properly, and also to avoid duplication of benefit with the aim of achieving the maximum benefit for the largest number of citizens according to the allocated budgets, despite many challenges that we faced from those included in the reward, such as the failure of some individuals to respond to the necessity of replacing the housing first and the desire to keep it despite its dilapidation. Work on the initiative continued for a period of approximately (9) years until receiving the decision of the last batch of beneficiaries in the year 2021, according to which the public housing and replacement file was closed with a total value exceeding (2) billion and (44) million dirhams.