Some residents of Umm Salal have urged the authorities to deal with the issue of houses in residential neighbourhoods being used as accommodation for labourers by companies.

Pointing out that hundreds of such workers are living in houses in the area, the residents say there is lack of monitoring and many residents are keen to lease their old houses to companies that pay high rents, thereby aggravating the problem, the report states.

Meanwhile, some residents have referred to the use of houses in the area as stores for food materials while others are turned into workshops for repairing cars and trucks.

Gulf Times reports that the houses also contain large amounts of waste at times, they allege.

Due to these issues, say the residents, many families are considering shifting from the area despite having lived there for years. [Gulf Times]