The Syrian General Establishment of Housing has set the completion date for the “Marota City” project and warned those who defaulted on the first installment of alternative housing.

In an interview with the local radio station, “Melody FM,” the Director of Social Housing at the Syrian General Establishment of Housing, Mawya Rangous, said on 12 October that “the implementation duration of each tower of the project will take between three to five years starting from the date of receiving the tower plot.”

Rangous pointed out that Damascus governorate pledged to hand-over all the alternative accommodation plots within one year.

She added that if the cost of construction rises, alternative housing recipients’ monthly payments might increase.

Rangous indicated that there are monthly payments and large payments when allocating accommodation, and another payment upon concluding the property hand-over contract.

She also revealed a deadline until 14 January 2021 for those defaulted on the first payment of the alternative housing.

Rangous pointed out that the defaulted people will have their subscriptions delayed, indicating that the priority is currently given to those who pay their installments.

The Syrian General Establishment of Housing has opened the door of registration for those entitled to alternative housing in the areas of the “Marota City” and the “Basilia City” projects, which reached 5,516 accommodation units.

In a statement published on 28 September, the establishment said that “registration for alternative housing for eligible property owners has started,” adding that it listed the names of entitled people in tables certified by Damascus governorate, where names are listed according to their specified dwelling category and space.

The establishment also announced that the application period would last between 18 December and 14 January of 2021.

The establishment published a table in which it clarified due categories and spaces, the initial cash payments to be paid and the date of payment, monthly installments, and the specific branch of Syria’s Real Estate Bank for payment.

“Marota City”

The “Marota City” project started in 2012, after the Syrian regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, issued the Legislative Decree No. 66, which provided for the establishment of a regulatory area in the Khalaf al-Razi area in Damascus.

Eight years after the project began, the residents did not receive alternative housing, because of the lack of funds available in the governorate, according to the director of the governorate’s technical studies, Mu’ammar Dakak, who said that the alternative accommodation cost is estimated at 285 billion Syrian pounds (SYP) (about 124 million USD).

At the end of last June, Syria’s Prime Minister, Hussein Arnous, asked the Ministry of Finance, Damascus governorate, and “Damascus Cham Holding Company” (owned by the governorate and responsible for implementing the project) to find appropriate formulas in providing financing support and to ensure financial flows to start the alternative housing project.

The regime’s government agreed on “establishing the alternative housing in a non-occupied area within the land stipulated in decree No. 66, with good internal and external specifications, and in line with the overall visual landscape of the project.”

In January 2019, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on 11 Syrian businessmen and five business entities, most of which connected with the “Marota City” project.