Musheireb exodus after power cut notice

Some shopkeepers have written to both the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, urging them to give an extension until after Eid al-Adha

“Goodbye Musheireb, see you at Barwa Village” is the message hanging from hundreds of shops in the Musheireb area where an exodus is underway following a notice of electricity supply termination issued by utility firm Kahramaa.

The notice was served on October 18 with a cut-off date of November 1 on shops and residential tenants in an area, once bustling as a business hub.

An earlier notice, issued by the Land Acquisition Department (LAD) of the Urban Planning & Development Authority (UPDA), was served on shops on August 15 with a deadline of September 15. It passed without any incident.

Later enquiries with UPDA revealed that “their part of the job has been completed with the onus now on Kahramaa to cut off the electricity.”

“Things have been so uncertain in this area. Our lives have been affected. Of course, the area has to go. But there’s a minor tremor in the area every time a new deadline is given,” a trader said yesterday.

The Kahramaa notice gives a cut-off date and a customer service number (4449-4261). Attempts by Gulf Times to contact an official on the number were unsuccessful yesterday.

The demolition in Musheireb, being carried out in phases, began in October 2008.

First to go were phases 1A and 1B where reconstruction work is already underway, with phases 2 and 3 under the axe now.

These start from the right side of the Arab Bank roundabout when coming down from Souq Waqif towards the Jaidah Bridge. Hundreds of shops dealing in electronics, hardware, clothing and watches dot the area.

Among the affected areas are the streets of Najdeel and Musheireb and the alleys of Al Eid, Ibn Ishaq, Al Deira and Al Gharaf. A mosque, Al Imam Al Hassan Bin Ali, has also been served the notice.

“This has been anticipated. However, getting the time given is only 14 days. We run a million riyal business with 30 workers. It’s no easy job to offload all of an electric appliances store said.

Some shopkeepers have written to both the Chamber of Commerce and Industry urging them to give an extension until after Eid al-Adha.

“Eid is one the biggest time of the year for any business in Qatar,” a shopkeeper said.

While some of the traders have found outlets in Barwa Village, others said they were still looking for suitable places.

With the shops in phases 3 and 4 receiving notices, only a handful of shops, about 30, will remain in the area called phase 4. This includes the Souq Hamad Bus Abdullah and shops and commercial complexes around and facing it.

Phase 4 is marked for demolition in June 2011.

The Musheireb redevelopment is planned to be completed by 2016.