BAHA, 23 August 2007 — Municipal officials in this southern Saudi city decided that if the vendors at the vegetable market refused to pay their rent then they would be locked inside their stalls. The vendors didn’t pay, so the municipality followed up with its threat, a first for Saudi regulations enforcement.
Abdullah Eid who was one of the vendors locked up inside his store expressed his anger and was really surprised of the municipality’s action: Officials locked him up inside his store while he was having his breakfast.
“The municipality employee asked us to provide him with the municipality lease, put a sign on the store and pay SR7,000,” he said. “We have visited the municipality many times and their employees were not cooperative at all. We work night and day and we have no other jobs than selling vegetables, yet they ask for money nonstop.”
Mansour Al-Bahout, manager of the municipality investments, says the vendors were given six months to get their finances and licenses in order. Some of the vendors have gone so long without renewing their leases that, legally speaking, they must give up their spaces to others, he added.
