By Thameen Kheetan
AMMAN - Residents of 10 buildings near the Jordan Gate project in the capital on Monday rejected an offer of JD500 monthly per family from the contractor to rent apartments until a broken crane is removed from the site.
About 40 families, who were accommodated at the Crowne Plaza and Landmark hotels at the contractor’s expense when part of a 220-metre crane positioned above the 44th floor collapsed on May 16, were asked to leave after three days, according to residents who live near the under-construction twin towers.
Citing "mistreatment" by the Sharjah-based contractor, one of the residents, Faris Nabulsi, said: "The Crowne Plaza administration asked us to leave the hotel because Al Hamad Company is not willing to pay for our stay any more."
The residents are now staying in their homes, with restricted movement, especially for children, Nabulsi told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Passers-by are denied access to the street, and only residents can enter, according to Nabulsi.
"We are not beggars, we don't want money, we need to guarantee our security instead," his neighbour Alaa Horani said, explaining that it would be more difficult to move the families' belongings to other apartments.
Meanwhile, Al Hamad Construction and Development Company described the current situation as "stable", but noted that it could be dangerous during the process of removing the crane.
The company has ordered a winch from the UAE to remove the damaged crane and it is expected to arrive here on Wednesday afternoon, according to Wadi Seer District Governor Mohammad Freihat.
Freihat, a member of a public safety committee formed to address the situation, noted that the street between the site and the Crowne Plaza was still blocked.
Another committee member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there is no one in Jordan who can assess the risk because the incident is "the first of its kind" in the country.
"This needs experts… our capabilities are limited," he told The Jordan Times, adding that even residents should not enter the street.
He believes the families "have the right to disagree if they find the JD500 offer insufficient" to rent a furnished apartment.
Meanwhile, Site Manager Adnan Sahawneh said the contracting company has placed a camera to monitor changes in the position of the crane round-the-clock, noting that no difference has been marked since the incident.
"There is no danger now, but there will be while the crane is being removed," he told The Jordan Times, adding that the street blockage is a "precautionary measure".
Sahawneh noted that the reason behind the incident was still unknown, ruling out overload as a possible cause.
No one was injured, but an Egyptian worker, who was trapped on top of the crane, was taken to the hospital and treated for shock.
Construction work was halted for the third time since the project started four years ago. A fire broke out in the eighth storey of the north tower in August 2006, but no one was injured.
A month later, three storeys of the north tower collapsed, killing four workers and injuring 15 others.
The same year, the Greater Amman Municipality suspended work on the project citing improper licensing when Jordan Gate started.
The Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House is implementing the $300 million project in partnership with the Kuwait Investment and Finance Company and the Kuwaiti Bayan Holding Company.
The twin towers, to be connected by a multi-storey podium, have broken the 31-floor record set by Le Royal Hotel in the 3rd Circle area, and are now 44 storeys high.
A five-star hotel, executive offices, conference facilities and an array of retail outlets will be housed in the project.
