Help more women with housing, emirate says

Sharjah's Consultative Council asks the Ministry of Public Works and departments of housing and land to consider disadvantaged women when they distribute property.

SHARJAH // The emirate's Consultative Council has asked the Ministry of Public Works and departments of housing and land to consider disadvantaged women when they distribute property. The council held a special session on Sunday to discuss the national housing programme in Sharjah. Fathima al Suwaidi, the chairwoman of the council's family committee, tabled a request that divorcees and disabled women should be given priority when land was allocated.

She also urged authorities to approve the distribution of houses to single women and national women married to foreigners as their numbers were on the increase. She also said the same rights should apply to second and subsequent wives, as well as first wives. Khalifa al Tunaiji, the director of public works in Sharjah, said the ministry would give special consideration to widows, many of whom already received assistance with items such as furniture. He said the federal Government was considering the situation of women in other categories. Some committee members said it was not clear to whom the policies applied and asked for more specific guidelines.

Khamis al Suwaidi, the head of the federal Government housing committee, said the number of beneficiaries from the federal Government housing programmes has been increasing every year in Sharjah. There were currently 6,004 beneficiaries, up from 700 when the programme was launched in 2000. This year, more than 4,000 people would be granted land including 816 in Sharjah city and up to 3,500 in the eastern region of the emirate.

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