JEDDAH, 4 June — Municipal authorities in Jeddah have set up several outposts to protect utilities at public places in the city.
Guards posted at these outposts will look after gardens, public parks, pavements and electric poles, street monuments, swings and other entertainment facilities for children, and outer covering of septic tanks, which are the common target of antisocial elements.
The municipality has already built outposts at seven locations in the city — three of them in Obhur, two in New Jeddah and one each in Sharafiya and Aziziah districts.
The need for setting up the outposts was felt following a growing tendency among some irresponsible people to tamper with or destroy the utilities situated at open places. This has resulted in losses worth millions of riyals and too much inconvenience to the general public. There have been several instances of electric poles and lamps being broken or damaged.
It has also been observed that between 700 and 900 covers of manholes in the rainwater drainage network are damaged or destroyed annually. Street monuments are disfigured and pavements damaged indiscriminately.
The new outposts, which will start operating shortly, will maintain a watch on all these utilities on a round-the-clock basis.
The municipal authorities will also start operating joint patrols along the Corniche involving police, social workers and scouts to deal with violations by motorists, beggars, street vendors and litterbugs.
