JEDDAH, 25 March 2007 — The Jeddah municipality issued new rules and regulations yesterday for the city’s street vendors, which include requiring the stall owners and operators to be Saudi citizens.
Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, head of the media center of the municipality, said that the new regulations include the authorized timings of sale, way of displaying goods and responsibilities of the investor.
He said that the owners of street stalls should be Saudis that personally operate the enterprises, rather than renting out the stalls to foreigners.
The size of the stall should not exceed six square meters and the operator is obliged to remove his stall at the end of his work, Al-Ghamdi said, adding that the operator is also responsible for the cleanness of the space he is occupying.
The municipality has authorized its representative offices around the city to issue special badges for stall operators that include the name of the operator, the number of his license and a picture, Al-Ghamdi said, adding that the municipality is also planning to crack down on the mobile street merchants that often set up around mosques after prayer times.
During last month, he said, municipal inspectors managed to seize 500 illegal stalls and street vendors who were mostly dealing in food products.
It is common to see vegetable-carts in many Jeddah districts, typically operated by Central Asian workers.
Inspectors have also raided 10 houses that were used by expatriates to illegally prepare pastries and sweets.
Sabri Kadah, head of the Jamiah municipality branch, said that they have concentrated their inspection tours around the Jamiah area, which is known for its concentration of restaurants and street outlets.
Kadah said that inspectors managed last week to capture more than 150 kilograms of dried fruits that were not suitable for consumption. He added that they have also caught 287 cartons of expired foodstuff and 2,280 kg of rotten olives.
