KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – Industrialists who have registered shops in the new industrial zone in north Syria’s Kobani for two years say that their living conditions prevent them from paying installments in the light of the decline of work movement.
Recently, the Industry Room in the Euphrates Region has informed renters to complete five installments at least by early March in order to be able to complete the implementation and finish the project.
In August 2018, the Euphrates Region’s Industry Room started the new industrial zone project near the village of Kolmet, about five kilometers south of Kobani, in order to solve the problem of iron waste in the industrial district, which damages car tires and creates noise that disturbs neighbors.
It was initially planned to finish the project within 17 months, but Turkish threats, delay in paying installments by those who purchased plots in the zone, and the coronavirus pandemic outbreak delayed the opening of the shops, according to those in charge of the project.
Declining work
Kobani resident Mustafa Qado, who has registered two shops in the new industrial zone, said that he could not pay the installments in the light of the decline in work that he has been witnessing.
The zone includes more than 800 stores of different sizes, in addition to a garage of 200 square meters.
The installment for a small shop reaches $350 dollars, while it reached $550 for a large one.
The subscribers were supposed to pay installments once every three months for 30 months.
The subscribers’ burdens to pay installments increased due to the increasing dollar exchange rate, which rose from 500 SYP to more than 3,000 SYP.
Qado told North Press, “When I registered for the two shops, the installments’ value equaled 3,000,000 SYP, while it is 22,000,000 SYP now.”
He also mentioned that successive Turkish attacks on North and East Syria affected his work.
After the Turkish attacks on Ain Issa and its countryside and the southern villages of Kobani, residents headed towards industrial areas in Manbij, Raqqa, and the town of Sheiyokh, where industrialists from the western villages of Kobani opened shops.
Auction
“Industrialists who will not pay five installments until early March; their shops will be sold at auction,” according to Euphrates Industry Room co-chair Bozan Dali.
“Industrialists are late in paying their installments, and some of them paid between two and four installments,” Dali added.
“It is scheduled to finish the project in August, if the installments are paid,” according to Industry Room co-chair.
The project is 75% implemented, and finishing it depends on the completion of the installments, because “the contractor is not able to complete the work at his own expense,” according to the Industry Room.
Not their right
Some future shops owners believe that the Industry Room should hand the shops to them and delay payments or decrease the value of installments in order to be able to secure them.
Muhammad Qader, who pays installments to the zone, said that he has paid three installments, which means that he has to pay two installments set by the Industry Room.
Qader said, “When we exchange the amount into Syrian pounds it becomes a disaster; I make less than 15,000 SYP per day and this amount is insufficient to pay an installment every three months.”
Qader believes that “selling the shop at the auction is unacceptable and it is not the Industry Room’s right to do it, as most of us cannot pay the installments in the current conditions.”
“Industrialists could have paid their installments when the exchange rate did not exceed 1,000 SYP,” the Industry Room co-chair said.