Ras Al Khaimah: Not only commercial buildings face a serious power shortage in Ras Al Khaimah, but the power problem has also affected universities, shopping malls and schools.

Such establishments were constructed a few years ago but have never been occupied due to the delay in power connection. These establishments said that they will approach the court and lodge complaints in their search to find a solution. They added that they have used all the possible ways to get power connected but all their attempts have been in vain.

Affecting students

The new building of a private university on the Emirates Road was completed and ready to be occupied a couple of years ago but lacks a power connection. The temporary and old premises of the university are too small for the increasing number of students enrolled at the establishment, which has repeatedly complained to the authorities about its urgent shifting to its new premises, but there has been no positive response.

The university has issued several announcements about moving to its new premises following promises from the authorities to get the new premises connected to power, but those promises have not been honoured.

A new shopping mall has been completed in Ras Al Khaimah for the past few years, and its official opening is pending the power connection, which the mall's management have referred to the authorities several times, but nothing has been done about it.

The shops and outlets in the malls have already been leased, and that the traders have been waiting to get their shops to start doing business, but nothing could be done about it.

The private schools are also badly affected due to the power shortage in Ras Al Khaimah. The owners of these schools have been referring to the authorities to get the power connected, but their demands have never been fulfilled. Finally, the owner of a school has reached the Emiri Court, demanding an immediate solution to his problem.

As per instructions from the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa) the schools and universities are given the top priority in power connections, but the owners of these universities and schools claimed that their establishments have not been provided with power connections simply because they were private establishments.

They stressed that there has been no other explanation for the delay in providing power for the educational institutions which have been officially given the top priority whether they were public or private.

2015 connection

The shopping mall announced that there has been a long delay in the providing power and that has caused serious financial losses to the management and to its clients.

Meanwhile, hundreds of commercial buildings have also been constructed and ready for lease pending the power connection which business people here assume may not be possible before 2013 to 2015.

The owners of these buildings said that until last year, they have been given dates for power connections in the year 2015 but later the authorities never provided them with a confirmed date for the connection.