Sharjah begins clearing single men out of family district after Ruler’s order

Inspectors take to the streets of Qadisiya after an Emirati woman told a radio show she felt intimidated

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  The Qadisiya area of Sharjah has many older buildings.

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  Shamshu Deen, from Afghanistan, is owner of Al Sharqan bakery in the Qadisiya area of Sharjah.

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  The Qadisiya area of Sharjah, where government officials will look at the prevalence of single men following complaints about unruly behaviour from nearby families. All photos Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Qadisiya area of Sharjah, where government officials will look at the prevalence of single men following complaints about unruly behaviour from nearby families.

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  The Qadisiya area of Sharjah, where government officials will look at the prevalence of single men following complaints about unruly behaviour from nearby families.

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  Khayber Khan, a taxi driver from Pakistan who lives in Qadisiya.

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  A boy pictured outside his home in Qadisiya on Monday.

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  The Qadisiya area of Sharjah, where government officials will look at the prevalence of single men following complaints about unruly behaviour from nearby families.

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  Khayber Khan, from Pakistan, who works as a taxi driver in Al Qadisiya in Sharjah. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Children walk through the streets in the Qadisiya area of Sharjah.

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  People go about their daily routine in the Qadisiya area of Sharjah.

Latest: Sharjah officials disconnect electricity to enforce eviction of single men in illegal tenancies

Sharjah's government began moving single men out of a family neighbourhood on Monday after reports that some of them intimidated women and their families

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, told the municipality and police force to begin inspections and prepare to carry out evictions.

The decision was made after an Emirati woman called Sharjah TV and radio station on Sunday.

She said she and her children felt unsafe because single men were crowding near her house in Al Qadisiya, an older suburb with many large villas, and acting in an unruly manner.

Thabit Al Turaifi, director general of Sharjah City Municipality, said inspectors would be sent to the area.

Officials previously issued warnings about houses in the area, which are often shared by dozens of single men.

Sharjah Police said officers from across its divisions would be joined by Civil Defence crews as they inspected residences and found out who lived there.

Two years ago, the spotlight fell on overcrowding in the emirate when a fire tore through a large villa in the Maysaloon district, about 3 kilometres from Al Qadisiya.

A woman and her son were killed in the blaze, which injured 64 others.

Officials said that about 70 low-income workers were living in the house at the time of the fire.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi authorities also worked to tackle overcrowding in residential suburbs and industrial areas.