Sharjah: Safeer Mall shop owners win court case but struggle amid renovations

Khaleej Times

2 days ago

Two months after Sharjah's once-bustling Safeer Mal l announced its closure and takeover by a new management, renovation works are in full swing. However, owners of the nine shops that originally elected not to relocate say they are struggling to stay afloat amid the ongoing refurbishment project.
This comes nearly a month after the tenants won a civil case filed against them by the new management — Western International Group — to vacate the property. On May 1, a court order declared the business owners could continue operating from the building under contracts signed directly with the municipality for the next five years. It further stated they could not be evicted from the premises or have their rents hiked. But that victory seems to now have given way to a new battle.
When Khaleej Times visited the mall that once served as a landmark for commuters plying the Dubai-Sharjah route along Al Ittihad Road, it wore a deserted look with its lights switched off, closed basement parking, and no customers to be seen around. Interior work was ongoing, with parts of the ceiling and tiles being replaced, as shattered glass and metal shutters lay near some closed shops. Ladders were placed across parts of the mall as construction workers went about their business, with standing fans placed nearby. The heat inside the mall was almost as sweltering as it was outside, and the lack of ventilation was quickly apparent. This reporter too was drenched in sweat in a matter of minutes.
Air conditioning hit amid renovation
Shop owners say the building's air conditioning reportedly stopped working about two months ago — first within the common areas of the mall — and then, in the last two weeks, within their shops too.
"We stopped accepting dine-in customers, and only serve on delivery basis now due to the lack of ventilation. The dust from the construction work has made it difficult to stand even for a few minutes inside the mall. It's not fair to our customers," said Nikhil, the manager cum partner of Hometown Restaurant — located on the ground floor of the mall — which has two branches in Sharjah.
Nikhil says the main struggle, however, is that staff are working in stifling conditions, as temperatures outside rise above 50°C. "We have placed a makeshift pipe to blow air outside the kitchen and are relying on the ventilation through the exhaust. Our staff is using coolers and portable fans to get by."
A similar story can be seen on the third floor of the mall, where two shops — Sagar Ratna Restaurant and Sufiya Noufal Sweets — operate from the empty food court.
Bhagwan Singh, a staff member overseeing Sagar Ratna's kitchen, said there were seven people working inside, who are struggling due to the heat of the kitchen. "We deal with hot food and that's why the temperature is higher inside the kitchen. Our sales have gone down by 50 per cent as customers don't like to come and eat here, especially since the dust from the construction is everywhere. Sometimes, the lift also stops working, making it hard for them to reach the top floor, as escalators were also switched off months ago."
The restaurant, which opened in January of 2024, was first affected by the April rains last year, and has now been impacted after the handover.
"We tried negotiating with the landlord to give us another place to temporarily relocate to — but nothing came of it."
Some employees have also reported health-related concerns. Mohammad Shaad, an employee of Sufiya Noufal Sweets, developed rashes on his body in the last two weeks due to the heat. His flare-up calmed down after he visited a doctor and was prescribed medication.
Sufiya Noufal, the owner of the sweet shop, has been facing health issues of her own due to the dust and had to visit a doctor after the headaches and wheezing worsened. "I have only one person working here since we're a small business. I give him a break from 10.30am to 5pm because the heat gets unbearable. Weekends get difficult because we have a lot of orders coming through Instagram."
She said it was becoming difficult to maintain the required temperature, which is 18°C to 23°C as per health and safety standards. "Our stock is getting ruined. We have lots of chocolate items that we store, and they are now getting spoilt."
According to her, delivery drivers have been facing difficulties too as the lift stops working often, forcing them to walk all the way to the top to collect orders.
Complaints filed
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Anoop Balakrishna Pillai, a lawyer at 3A Global Legal Consultants, who represented four shop owners — Hometown Restaurant, Sufiya Noufal Sweets, Amani and Leena Mukesh Trading — in the civil case, said they had every right to remain in the building. "We are fighting for an amicable settlement case and trying to protect the owners' rights. As per the court order, they are allowed to run their businesses from inside the building for another five years after the eviction petition for all four was rejected. They cannot be evicted and their rents cannot be hiked. Because of the current AC and electricity issue, their businesses have taken the hit as customers have stopped coming and there is minimum support from the landlord."
"More than a dispute, the air conditioning issue is a matter of rights, especially in this hot weather."
The four tenants visited the health department and Sharjah Municipality on Wednesday, May 28. After filing a complaint with the health department, an inspector visited the site to assess the situation. The shop owners have filed another case with the municipality regarding the non-functioning air conditioning system. A judgement is expected within a couple of weeks.
Sales plummet
Al Awal Sports, an indoor badminton facility located on the third floor, has operated at the mall since 2018. The owner, Prakash Kurbkhelgi, has filed a case against the management after being given eviction notices. "We are not even making two-hour sport bookings. It's difficult to stand in the heat, let alone play. There is work ongoing but no safety precautions being taken with the dust."
The sports facility has another branch located behind the mall, which continues business as usual. "We have all invested with our staff, equipment and liabilities. It is not fair for us to be facing this situation now."
Meanwhile, clothing shops Leena Mukesh Trading and Amani, located on the ground floor, are seeing almost no customers walk in.
Ashfaq Muhammad Khan, the owner of Amani, said his clothes are getting ruined while gathering dust due to the renovation. "We have spent Dh36,000 in legal fees for the civil case. We have to pay for parking every day because the basement is closed and pay for fuel as well since we all drive down here. Our investment is going to waste because there are no customers. All of this is happening despite us winning the court case."
Mukesh Chaturbhuj, the owner of Leena Mukesh Trading, an Indian clothing shop for women, said he was also asked to leave and come back when the mall reopens, relocate to the first floor and pay a much higher rent for 800 sq ft of space compared to his current 1,100 sq ft space. "Since the handover happened, we have already faced up to Dh50,000 in losses."
"They have also opened the ceiling in front of my shop which is dangerous for us as well as any customers if they want to visit. The lights directly in front of my store have been switched off as well, and my wife sits here alone at night. I have reached out to the management about this; they said they would look into it but nothing has changed."
Management response
In emails and messages seen by Khaleej Times, these tenants have reached out to the management multiple times regarding air conditioning, dust and electricity issues, but no action has been taken as of yet.
A municipality permit outside the building shows that internal ceramic tile replacement and external wall painting has been approved. It also states it does not include evacuation of the building and that the contractor is responsible for adhering to safety, civil defense, and public safety rules. Additionally, it mentions any government utility disconnection (like electricity or water) must be coordinated with the respective department before beginning work.
Khaleej Times reached out to Nawas Basheer, the Managing Director of Western International Group, who confirmed that they have all the necessary permits to go ahead with renovation. However a request to see the permits was still pending at the time of publication.
"The building is almost 30 years old, so once we began renovation, we found many damaged pipes, leaks, rusted things. In the process of fixing these issues, the air conditioning stopped working," said Basheer, in regards to the current air conditioning issue.
"We have kept the management office open on the top floor for the concerns of shop owners and they can reach out to them for any issue."
Regarding the complete malfunction of air conditioning during the past two weeks, Basheer said there were major renovation works ongoing. "We are aware how hot it is outside and inside too without the air conditioning. We have also been stuck with the renovation due to the shop owners still working here."
The tenants now hope the current case filed can bring them some respite from the searing heat inside the mall and bring more customers to their once flourishing businesses.