Al Dhaid residents want to keep pace with UAE’s development

Rashid Al Nadas says major roads and streets in the regional capital need maintenance work. Satish Kumar / The National

SHARJAH // The motorway taking tourists to the country’s east coast beaches passes through the old city of Al Dhaid, but few of them stop there.

A 40-minute drive from the city of Sharjah, the capital of the central region is a collection of low-rise buildings, shops, and mosques on narrow streets that seem a world away from the rest of the UAE.

It is a hat-tip to the past that residents celebrate and bemoan in equal measure.

› Ahead of the FNC election day on October 3, The National's reporters are travelling across the seven emirates to speak to Emiratis and find out the issues that affect them – and what they expect from members of a new Federal National Council. Read them here.

The area’s infrastructure needs improvement, particularly the highways and truck roads used by commuters and heavy lorries travelling between emirates.

“The streets are the same for as long as I remember,” says Rashid Al Nadas, a resident. “We always hear that there are plans to fix them, however we don’t see anything happening.

“Besides enhancing and widening the Sharjah-Al Dhaid Road, there is Al Suhailah-Al Dhaid Road, which is equally dangerous and a lot of people have died on it. It needs a major overhaul.”

Mr Al Nadas, 38, a father of two, said he did not hold out much hope about what the FNC candidates could do for the area.

“I don’t think the candidates can do much for us. We saw what they did during the previous council, and we will wait and see what they can do this time.”

Naser Al Tunaiji, 34, has a son enrolled in an elementary school in Al Dhaid, which he said had not had any major maintenance for the past 10 years.

“The school that my son goes to is old,” Mr Al Tunaiji says. “They wanted to close it and move the pupils to another school, but it is still open.

“We hope that they work on enhancing the school infrastructure in the city for the sake and safety of our children.”

A shortage of staff at Al Dhaid hospital is also a concern for residents. The hospital caters to Al Dhaid residents and those of the central region, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Saeed Sultan says he no longer visits the hospital.

“If me or my wife need medical assistance we go to Sharjah instead of Al Dhaid,” says Mr Sultan, 26.

“The situation in the hospital is dire. It lacks staff to cope with the patients. The hospital has medical equipment but there is not enough staff there.”

The FNC should also address the problem of Emiratis, particularly government employees, leaving the area in search of jobs that have better salaries, Ahmad Khalfan says.

“A lot have resigned to find other jobs in the capital and other emirates,” says Mr Khalfan, 34.

“Current salaries of Dh10,000 to Dh15,000 a month are not enough to sustain our families.

“Our salaries are really low in comparison with other emirates, and everyone around me wants to quit to find a better job with a better pay.”

Mosabeh Al Kitbi, 44, who represented Sharjah in the most recent Federal National Council and is a candidate for next month’s elections, says he will work hard to resolve these problems if he were elected.

“If I get elected for the council, I will continue working in raising and solving the concerns of residents,” Mr Al Kitbi says.