Dammam's municipality shut down two gas stations for not adhering to quality assurance guidelines.

Speaking to Arab News, Hatem Saad Al-Qamdi, a municipality official, said: “The decision to shut down the fuel stations came in order to ensure that the newly implemented development and improvement guidelines set for Eastern Province are followed.”

“There are 45 guidelines that gas stations must adhere to in order to remain open for business,” he said.

Al-Qamdi added that this program would eventually be implemented across all regions in the Kingdom. The deadline for implementation of the quality assurance guidelines will be the end of 2014, even though the program was launched in 2010.

“The program aims to upgrade and develop the fuel stations,” he said.

Al-Qamdi stressed that the owners of 50 stations in central Dammam must follow the new regulations.

“The program is 75 percent complete,” he said.