Dubai Municipality inspectors in cooperation with Dubai Police seized 337 law violators including street vendors, beggars and illegal car washers in October 2012.
It was announced by Obeid Ibrahim Marzouqi, Head of Markets Management Section at Dubai Municipality. The move against the law-breakers had also resulted in the seizure of several low-quality goods and pirated CDs.
“Civic inspectors conduct daily spot checks in streets and public places to prevent street vending, begging and car washing in public places by individuals in violation of the ruling by the Ministry of Labour in this regard. Inspectors at the Control Unit of the Markets Administration Section in the Assets Management Department carry out regular checks to take action against the violators,” Ibrahim said.
“Last month, they caught 177 street vendors, 104 illegal butchers and fish cleaners, 40 beggars and 16 car washers,” he said.
“A total of 3,933 counterfeit products were seized including 2,498 ready-made garments, 875 DVDs, pirated films and pornographic movies, 545 foodstuff items, 13 alcoholic drinks, and two associations for illegal fund collection,” he added.
The law-breakers, who belong to various nationalities, would be handed over to the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department for deportation in coordination with Dubai Police.
Dubai’s campaign against paan products
Dubai Municipality has carried out special programs targeting commercial areas in Deira and Bur Dubai and labour camps in Alqouz, Jabl Ali and Sonapur, recently, to raise awareness against the harms of Paan products.
The drive was carried by Operation Unit in Bur Dubai under Waste Management Department of the civic body.
‘The drive comes as part of Municipality’s efforts to eradicate bad habits and behaviors found in people that affect the public health levels of the city’ said Abdul Majeed Saifaie, Director waste Management Department at Municipality.
‘Chewing paan products and spiting it out in public spaces puts black mark on the global acceptance of our city. In addition to what it does to the good image of the streets it is also a threat to our health’ commented Saifaie further.
Sohail Mohammed Awadhi, Head of the operation Unit at Bur Dubai said ‘the awareness was on the negative impacts of chewing paan. Guiding people regarding the legal consequences of using paan items was also included in the awareness topics’
He said officials used Arabic English, Hindi and Bangla languages in awareness programs in order to send the message across different nationalities.
He also informed that near about 250 kg paan items were seized and destroyed during the drive.
While answering to a question, Sohail said, according to Local Order 98/1996, importing paan products to Dubai is unlawful. Those who chew and spit it in public places have to pay a fine of Dh500.
According to him 1,024 kg of paan products have been seized so far in 2012 and 79 persons were fined.