Earlier, interest-free loans were announced for Emiratis whose businesses were affected by the rains, with a grace period of 6 to 12 months
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For decades, Dubai-based employees who want to save money on rent have preferred Sharjah's Al Nahda as their preferred residential destination. Nestled between Industrial Area 7 and Al Taawun, Al Nahda is one of Sharjah's busiest residential localities, housing several thousand families and bachelors.
Even though easy access and relatively less traffic congestion towards Dubai is the main reason residents prefer to live in Al Nahda, it also plays host to people from across nationalities and provides excellent amenities for residents.
Easy access to Dubai
"The benefit of living in Al Nahda is that you can walk to Dubai," laughed Madhumathi Vishwakarma, a resident and housewife living in Al Nahda. "Any time of the day, you can see hundreds of commuters crossing a small gap in the barrier that divides Sharjah and Dubai. People can take a bus directly to Stadium Metro station once they cross over. It is so convenient," she added.
In recent times, the housing rents in Al Nahda have substantially reduced, making it affordable for Sharjah residents to upscale from other areas in the city. "We used to live in Abu Shagarah and pay rent of Dh39,000 per year. Last year, I moved to Al Nahda to a two-bedroom apartment for Dh45,000. It is a hike in rent, but I am saving on petrol and parking in the building is free," said Hina Imam, an Indian resident and insurance company employee.
Rents for single bedroom have dropped to Dh20,000 from Dh30,000 since 2012, according to real estate website propertyfinder.com. Luxury two-bedroom apartments are available for anything in between Dh38,000 to Dh50,000, when the rents for the same flats used to be Dh60,000 and above.
Culturally diverse hub
Aside from it being a locality where residents can easily cross the road from Sharjah to Dubai, Al Nahda is also one of the most culturally diverse residential hubs in the city. People from Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Egypt, Lebanon and several other countries live in Al Nahda.
Samuel Ola Oyenuga, a Nigerian security company employee, said: "Many people from my country live here. I have also met various nationalities living here peacefully. Most communities interact with each other at Al Nahda Park and Lulu Supermarket."
Given the multi-cultural nature of the locality, it is also home to some great multi-ethnic restaurants such as Hengchen serving Asian cuisine and Delhi Nihari serving Pakistani cuisine. It is not uncommon to find restaurants serving African and Filipino foodstuffs as well.
A walk in the park
Al Nahda's best-known landmark is a square park, which is accessible only to families. From dawn to dusk, residents are seen taking brisk walks around the park, especially when the weather is pleasant. "I bring my kids here to play very often. Now, my older one can come on his own, he plays with his friends every evening," said Arwa Abu Khater, a resident in Al Nahda's Tiger Building.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
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