MAKKAH, 10 April 2007 — The Makkah Municipality has announced that it will be increasing inspections on businesses in the city.
Deputy Secretary of the Municipality Jamal Hariri said that officials would be checking with greater scrutiny safety regulations, such as the sanitary conditions of feed establishments. Street vendors are being put on notice that they will be required to have proper licenses
Muhammad Ameen, general manager of the public health department at the municipality, said that inspectors are working around the clock and cover the whole city of Makkah.
He said that in the past month 107 street sellers, who included 33 Saudis, have been arrested for various violations.
In the same period, more than 4,000 kilograms of foodstuffs, 452 containers of medicines and 6,600 liters of beverages were confiscated, mostly for being sold past the expiration date. City officials are urging citizens to be vigilant when dealing with informal vendors.
