JEDDAH, 6 August — Saudi authorities have so far arrested 519 expatriates for allegedly working at the vegetable market (halaga) in Jeddah in violation of new regulations. The committee for implementing the Saudization drive in the market picked up the expatriates during routine inspection tours.
In a related development, the Jeddah Municipality fined vegetable traders for parking their coldstorage trucks outside the market to sell various vegetable products. The trucks were brought back to the market with the help of traffic and patrol police.
The municipality has also launched a hygiene campaign at halaga and in front of nearby shops and supermarkets. It said a cleaning company contracted by the market’s management would remove trash from the area.
The municipality has confiscated 3,679 boxes of rotten fruit, 3,288 boxes of cucumbers, 357 cartons of eggs and 212 bags of fodder from traders at the halaga.
In its efforts to reorganize the fish market, the municipality has prevented sales of fish at the gate and sidewalks of roads. It also confiscated and destroyed 980 kilograms of contaminated fish and fined many of the fish traders.