Samaher Saif Al Yazal
The Municipal Council of the southern region unanimously agreed to the legal drafting of the draft decision to issue a regulation that regulates work in the central and popular markets, in a move aimed at organizing these markets in a way that guarantees the provision of services to citizens and residents, and enhances control and supervises them in a way that contributes to stimulating the economic movement.
The Council affirmed that these regulations come in response to the need of the markets to a legal framework that regulates it in accordance with the controls and provisions, in a way that achieves justice in granting licenses, and preserves the public order and the civilizational appearance, where the regulations confirm that the primary goal of it is to organize the central and popular markets and ensure that these sites remain committed to legal and health requirements, in a way that guarantees an organized and safe commercial environment, and enhances its role in supporting the local economy and meeting the needs of citizens.
The Council re -drafted Article 3, item A to be more clear, as it stipulated the formation of a committee for the central and popular markets headed by the Director General of the Municipality, and the membership of the head of property and markets, the head of legal affairs, the head of revenues, the head of licenses and organizing construction, head of the purchasing unit, in addition to one of the members of the Council determined by the Chairman of the Council.
This committee aims to directly supervise the organization of work within the central and popular markets, ensuring its good management and following up the commitment of beneficiaries and tenants to the laws and requirements in force.
The regulations specified in its articles that it is not permissible to practice the sale and purchase or speculation activity and any type of commercial activities or the practice of craft activities in the central or popular public markets except for those who have been assigned a site by the capital’s secretariat or the competent municipality.
She also affirmed that it is not permissible to allocate more than one site for the license student in the same market, whether it is a natural or correlation except for economic considerations, and after the approval of the minister concerned with municipal affairs.
The licensed regulation was obligated to exploit the area granted to him only and for the purpose for which the license was issued, while preventing him from giving up the site or allowing others to exploit it or occupy it except with the prior approval of the competent department.
The licensee also holds fully responsible for occupying and exploiting the licensed space, including removing any occupations, facilities or waste at the end of the license period and returning the situation to what it was, in addition to commitment to maintaining the cleanliness of the site and securing public safety requirements in it permanently.
Article 11 touched upon the granting of the competent department in the municipality, permits to occupy the sidewalks, squares and corridors within the central and popular public markets, according to accurate conditions, the most prominent of which are:
1. The applicant must be from the authorized beneficiaries in the market where the area is located.
2. The area to be occupied does not include any emergency or public safety services.
3. The occupancy of the area does not block traffic or negatively affect traffic safety, public health, or the planning and urban nature and the general appearance of the market.
Article 12 also stipulates that the occupancy of sidewalks, squares and corridors is subject to a number of controls, among them that the competent department determines the activities and works that can be allowed inside the markets according to the nature of the market and the value of the addition that it achieves, with the requirement to leave a distance of not less than one meter on the sidewalks for the pedestrian walk, and the possibility of increasing it according to what the municipality deems appropriate according to the intensity and movement within the market.
The same article emphasized that any statement that the municipality gives to occupy these spaces is temporary, and it may be canceled at any time before the end of its duration without the municipality bearing any obligations towards the authorized or others.
She also stressed that the exploitation of the site must be for the authorized purpose only, and it obligated to maintain its cleanliness and secure safety requirements in it continuously.
Article 13 came to clarify the measures taken against the violators, as it allowed the municipality to reserve the goods offered in violation of the provisions of the regulations, and transfer them to any place it deems appropriate while obliging the violator to pay the transfer fees and all the expenditures resulting from the municipality.
The article also granted the municipality the right to sell the commodities confiscated by auction, provided that its value is deposited as secretariats after deducting the dues of the municipality, stressing that the municipality does not bear any responsibility if these goods are damaged during the period of reservation.
