MAKKAH: The Makkah municipality has removed 25 stalls that had been illegally set up in front of a hotel in the city, after complaints from one of the European Haj delegations.
Municipality teams had to obtain permission from the authorities after the stall owners challenged them.
A Makkah municipality official, Ahmad Munshi, told Arab News the stall owners had been warned three times to remove their stalls after the Haj delegation members complained.
The European pilgrims had claimed that their presence was an accident waiting to happen. They pointed to a lack of any safety measures at the stalls and said that they were too close to their hotel.
Munshi said that the stall owners did not have permits to sell their produce and that their presence near the Haj delegation was wrong.
He added that the municipality was working hard to present a positive image and to provide the best of service to pilgrims. He warned that any illegal stall inside Makkah neighborhoods would be immediately removed.
Munshi said that this time they removed the stalls without imposing any fines on the stall owners.
Municipality teams initially faced resistance from the stall owners who claimed that they had permits.
Police acted to quell opposition and assisted in removing the illegal stalls. Munshi urged citizens to follow procedures and to obtain permits before setting up any stalls.
