The displaced residents of the al-Tadamon neighborhood, who have obtained security clearances, started to return to habitable areas in batches.

Damascus governor, Adel al-Olabi, announced the returning of the al-Tadamon neighborhood’s residents since 13 September, as few houses were handed over to their owners.

Al-Olabi added that the residents’ return would continue gradually to include all the areas and habitable houses.

During a visit by the al-Olabi with a number of officials to the al-Tadamon neighborhood, al-Olabi said that there are currently 500 names who received permission to return, and each day, 50 names will be announced to return gradually to the area.

Al-Olabi clarified that the names that had permission to return would be published through the “Al-Tadamon Online” page on “Facebook.”

He called upon those who did not submit the required documents to present them to the competent authorities in their area to obtain the necessary permit to allow them to return.

Al-Olabi confirmed that the governorate is working on rehabilitating the al-Tadamon neighborhood’s infrastructure, hoping that the residents will make sure of the structural safety of their houses.

Officials who participated in the visit to the neighborhood said that the approval period for the return permits would not exceed two weeks, in case the required documents are provided, and there was no security problem with the applicant.

The officials indicated that delivering the houses will be after the owners sign a “pledge” that includes acknowledgment of recovering the property with the address and date, and after paying their due receivables to government institutions.

The “pledge” includes the extraction of a property restoration license from the al-Midan area’s municipality before any restoration work. It also involves removing the rubble within 60 days of the date of recovering the property.

Besides, applicants must obtain a clearance certificate from the authorities of finance, water, electricity, and telecommunication and Damascus governorate.

The “pledge” also requires the owner to reside in the property or dispose of it lawfully by selling or leasing it at the owner’s responsibility, without holding any government entity the responsibility for the property’s structural integrity.

On 31 May, al-Olabi issued decision No. 3191, which named nine areas in the al-Tadamon neighborhood that will be rehabilitated for their residents’ return.

These areas include the Al-Ameen Street and its surroundings, the area of “Hamza” Mosque and its surroundings, the area of the Biscuit Factory and its surroundings, the area of “Abu Trabeh ” bakery and its surroundings, the area of “Abu Nazeer” bakery and its surroundings, the area of Adnan al-Maliki and its surroundings, the area of Bustan al-Zarie and its surroundings, the area of “Othman” Mosque and its surroundings, and the housing construction area and its surroundings.

The southern neighborhoods of Damascus of al-Qadam, al-Tadamon, and the Yarmouk camp witnessed battles between opposition factions and Syrian regime forces, on the one hand, and between the regime forces and the so-called “Islamic State (IS)” organization, on the other hand, before the opposition left the area due to Russian-backed military operations in May 2018.