Shop owner despair over construction of new Sinjar hospital

NINEVEH – Local authorities in Sinjar’s North District have announced plans to build a 50-bed hospital, raising concerns among owners of unauthorized commercial establishments along the Sinuni-Karsi road, at the district’s heart. It’s expected that 40 of these shops will be demolished to facilitate the hospital’s construction.

Marwan Murad, a shop owner, shared his concerns with 964media, stating, “The authorities have given us a brief deadline until the end of this month to clear the encroachments, endangering our businesses and means of living.”

Shop owners are demanding adequate compensation for the losses they anticipate from the project, highlighting that even the inventory of the smallest shop is worth around 50 million Iraqi dinars.

Khadija Joki, director of the North District, acknowledged the shop owners’ predicaments, “We recognize the difficulties commercial shop owners might face due to the new hospital’s construction. Efforts are underway to find resolutions and provide necessary support to those impacted.”

“We have communicated the shop owners’ challenges to the responsible entities. Regrettably, the contracting company is slated to begin work at the start of next month, with no solid solutions yet in place for this issue,” Joki added.

Despite ongoing discussions, the delay in executing remedial actions could further harm the affected shop owners, who built stores without going through the proper bureaucratic processes.