JEDDAH: The Jeddah Municipality held a public draw on Monday to give away licenses for Ramadan stalls in the Balad area of the city.

Around 328 applicants, including both men and women, have received licenses, said Bashir Abunajem, deputy mayor for markets affairs. "They will be given their actual locations next Saturday," he added.

Abunajem said that the municipality has only given licenses to women who are widowed or divorced. He added that applicants have been asked to present official proof of their status.

"Women applicants should also bring official documentation for the person who would be working on the stall," he said, adding that male applicants have to be Saudi, over 30 years of age and in possession of a health certificate.

Ramadan stalls in the Balad area sell pastries, dates, chickpeas, traditional sweets, perfumes, incense sticks, clothes and fried liver. Stalls will begin operating on the first day of Ramadan, except for candy stalls, which will begin operating on Ramadan 20, said Abunajem, adding that all stalls would be closed on the last day of the month.

In previous years, stall owners have complained about illegal expatriates running stalls by renting from women who have legally obtained licenses.

Shuja Al-Harithi, a Saudi stall operator, said he has been running Ramadan stalls for the last 20 years. "Recently, when women were given the licenses, we started seeing expatriates dominating the market illegally. These people have a tendency to play with prices," he said.

He noted that illegal stall operators usually pay SR5,000 to the license owner to operate the stall for the whole month and that they make at least SR30,000 in profit. "Stalls operated by Saudis have been slowly diminishing and now we see a growing number of illegal people controlling the Ramadan stalls," he said.

Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, head of the municipality's media department, said the authorities have become aware of the problem, especially after receiving various complaints in previous years.

He noted that the municipality has implemented strict rules and that officials will carry out on-the-spot inspections this year. "All illegal stall operators would be detained and the license owner would be fined," he said.