September 6, 2009.

Dubai has begun fining those who violate the "one villa one family" rule Dh50,000, a senior government official told Emirates Business.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said the rule continues to be enforced in the whole of Dubai aiming at providing residents a "higher standard of living".

"Yes, we did start the Dh50,000 fine. I don't know how many [people] we have fined... you see, firstly it is not our purpose to fine," he said.

"If we cannot maintain the higher standard of living then we have a problem. Once we had a fire in one of the houses that was crowded with people, which resulted in deaths. That is not right. The infrastructure has been designed to serve a certain number of people," he said.

Lootah said the rule is relative to the size of the villa. He said that it is permissible to have more than one family living in a villa, provided it was big enough. Whether the area is big enough is for Dubai Municipality to determine, and an explicit permission should be sought.

The rule, however, is less strict in flats, where the infrastructure design is more complex and bigger.

"In a flat... yes, it is possible because it is designed [to accommodate more people]. You can have a number of people in a room but not 10 people in a room... it's not right. Every room and every space is designed for a certain number of people," he said.

In Dubai, bachelors can live in any part of the emirate, as long as they live in an apartment and not in a villa. Violation of this rule entails immediate eviction and high penalties. This has caused a number of difficulties for male residents who are living in areas where affordable apartments are scarce.

Asked what are Dubai Municipality's plans in this regard, Lootah said: "This is one of the issues that we tackle, it's part of our future plan. But it needs a little bit more time, we're doing things in a gradual manner."

With regards to Dubai's policy in smoking cigarettes and shisha on side streets, he said: "Dubai has accomplished a lot but we know that there are still lots to be done. We have put the smoking ban in phases - first in the malls. We're talking to people. I recognise and we're trying to bring the smoking down but if someone has already invested in a place [shisha café]... then he'll have anxieties."

Source : Emirates Business 24/7