Green light for Tamweel Tower reconstruction

The Owners Association will soon put a signature under a contract securing the reconstruction

02/04/2014 09:34 AST

After months of speculation as to whether there would life in Tamweel Tower again, former residents, owners, developers and everyone else involved can heave a sigh of relief as Emirates 24|7 can reveal that reconstruction has been officially secured.

The Owners Association of Tamweel Tower, has confirmed in a statement to Emirates24/7 that it has obtained the permission to open a bank account. On the ground, this means that a contractor can now be awarded and a contract for the reconstruction may be signed.

Times have not been easy in the months following a destructive blaze in the 34-storey Tamweel Tower, located in Jumeirah Lakes Tower (JLT). In a matter of a day, hundreds of residents were displaced while some lost most of their belongings. Although residents relocated to new homes, the homes of Tamweel Tower were never refurbished.

In January this year, a disturbing announcement came to light. Although reconstruction could have been in full swing at the time, the process was obstructed due to a disagreement between developer Tamweel Tower and the Owners Association (OA). While Tamweel Tower refused to assume responsibility for signing the contract for the reconstruction, the OA was unable to do so due to its lack of a legal status.

Fortunately, this problem has now been resolved, confirmed Surendra Nayar, speaking on behalf of the OA. "We have received a letter from Rera [Real Estate Regulatory Authority], granting us the permission to open a bank account. This bank account is currently being opened with Emirates NBD, and will be functional shortly.

"The bank account will avoid any impediment to signing a contract with the contractor for the reconstruction of Tamweel Tower," he said.

What does this mean for the reconstruction of the tower? Nayar explains that the board is already in the process of inviting contractors. Interested contractors will be given a site tour of the building, after which the tenders will be released.

As soon as the contractor has been awarded, the signature of the OA will guarantee the reconstruction, Nayar promises. "This was never a problem for the OA. As soon as we have the legal capability, there should be no problem in signing the contract," he explained.

Exactly how long it will take before the tower is ready to house its residents again is not known yet. "We hope this will all not take too long," he said, confident that a contractor will be awarded for the job.

"The real estate market has picked up and I do not believe that the publicity around the events have adversely affected the interest in the reconstruction. However, we want to hire a good contractor," he emphasised.

The reconstructed building will adhere to the latest Dubai Municipality regulations and norms for residential buildings, he noted.

Emirates 24|7