Al-Balad municipal head Wadea Abu Al-Hamayel said his office shut down six grocery shops last month and issued 11 citations to other traders.

The municipality’s food inspection division visited 912 stores, five of which were shut down for violations. Warnings were issued to 121 stores. Licenses were issued to 138 new stores, while 299 shops were allowed to renew theirs.

"There were seven inspectors from the municipality who were monitoring 1,727 stores in the area. They found 242 stores that were in violation of rules and issued warnings to them. Some stores will eventually face closure if they don't comply with regulations," Al-Hamayel said.

"Last month the municipality demolished four buildings, and warned 38 others to correct construction irregularities.”

He added that the municipality made follow-up visits to 1,325 trash containers, which were sprayed with pesticides and inspected for maintenance.

Last month 3,225 km of streets and roads were vacuumed, while 360 km were hand swept, he added.

Al-Hamayel reiterated that his department is working hard to guarantee people’s safety and comfort.