A CALL has gone out to shut down a crammed scrapyard in Duraz that is allegedly attracting stray dogs and posing a threat to residents’ lives.
The proposal has been submitted by Northern Municipal Council technical committee chairman Abdullah Al Qubaisi, who said he has been dealing with a barrage of complaints from Duraz residents seeking quick action.
“Duraz is a beautiful residential area and the scrapyard is a threat as it attracts stray dogs and stops cleaners from doing their jobs,” Mr Al Qubaisi said at the council’s biweekly session yesterday.
“The government must close down the unauthorised facility and allocate land for a new junk yard elsewhere.”
Council’s Services chairman Faisal Shabeeb alleged that the scrapyard was crammed with abandoned vehicles brought in from across the kingdom.
“The municipality is at fault as they are in charge of seizing cars from the streets,” he said. “The excuse they give us is that they don’t have any more allocated land for scrap.
“However, they are the executive authority with several plots under their jurisdiction. We need land allocated immediately as residents of Duraz are living in fear.”
Mr Shabeeb reiterated that abandoned cars, which have been referred to as death traps by various council members in the past, are a hazard.
He claimed that children have been found hiding inside derelict vehicles in the past and delayed action could lead to a tragedy.
“What if a child gets stuck in one of these cars and dies, it’s not like it hasn’t happened before,” he said.
“Do we have to wait for another death or disaster before we act? We have to think of the children. The scrapyard is full to the brim and unused vehicles are now being dumped on roads. It impedes smooth movement of traffic and is a grave health threat.”
The council has been demanding a crackdown on abandoned vehicles on multiple occasions, with Mr Al Qubaisi calling the cars a ‘safe haven for rodents, criminals and human traffickers’.
The GDN reported in March that Mr Al Qubaisi had called for an inspection blitz to tackle the growing number of complaints on derelict cars and stray dogs in the Northern Governorate. He had accused the Northern Municipality of failing to properly implement the 2019 Public Cleanliness Law, a charge disputed by the authority which said it was doing the best it can in challenging circumstances.
He also called for tough implementation of the law besides increasing awareness campaigns.
“Abandoned vehicles are a huge problem, sometimes the municipality slaps fines immediately while there are times when the action is taken at a snail’s pace,” he claimed.
“The municipality recently fined someone for his dusty car even though it is insured, registered and regularly used. Inspectors also need to verify information before slapping fines,” he added.
Councillors yesterday approved the proposal demanding allocation of land for a government scrapyard while also insuring that the 2019 Cleanliness Law be implemented fairly.
reem@gdnmedia.bh
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