Sharjah Police arrest 720 'illegal' residents

Sharjah Police arrest 720 'illegal' residents

 

• Image Credit: Courtesy: Sharjah Police
• The illegal residents were picked up from industrial areas by police in the first week of April as part of a year-long campaign to target those responsible for crimes such as the sale of counterfeit goods.

Sharjah: Police have arrested more than 700 illegal residents during the first week of April, it was announced Thursday.                          

The arrests were made as part of Sharjah Police's year-long campaign to round up illegal residents who have either run away from their sponsors or overstayed their visa. Up to 720 people were arrested in the city's industrial areas. A senior police official said the majority of illegal residents carry out illegitimate business practices, such as selling counterfeit goods or pornographic films.

"The people we arrested were living in abandoned buildings, workshops, dilapidated houses and sites that were under construction. We are taking strict action against such offenders of the residency rule because they are threatening the security of our society, and are most likely to carry out crimes," said Brigadier Abdullah Mubarak Al Dukhan, Deputy Director of Sharjah Police.

The police campaign, which is being carried out in coordination with the Sharjah Naturalisation and Residency Department, was launched last January in a bid to curb crime in the emirate.  Last February, Sharjah Police arrested 117 housemaids over a two-day raid that targeted residential neighbourhoods, including 65 women who lived in one building, in the area of Al Qasimia and Maysaloon.

Source: Gulf News

Sharjah parking woes: 40 promised, 0 delivered

Sharjah: Motorists in Sharjah undergo a regular ordeal finding parking in busy areas, even as many grand projects announced to ease the problem are yet to see the light of day.

In 2008, officials had announced that 40 multi-storey car parks would be built in crowded neighbourhoods.

But not one of them is ready even three years down the line.

And at least three car parks are being built on plots previously used as free parking spaces by motorists. They remain unfinished, even though municipality officials had said in 2010 that those buildings were almost ready.

No work

Residents said almost no work has been carried out on the car parks in Al Majaz, Abu Shagara, and Al Qasimiya for a year. The buildings looked deserted when XPRESS visited the sites this week, with no sign of construction activity. It is not clear what is holding back the projects; Sharjah Municipality could not be reached for comment.

The car parks are apparently being built by the same contractor, according to project information boards on construction sites.

The under-construction Abu Shagara parking project had collapsed in 2009, injuring several workers. A subsequent investigation traced the collapsed to an architectural error. The mess has long been cleared up, but there is also no indication of any buildings works there. Motorists, meanwhile, continue to fight for vanishing free parking spaces. "It can take an hour to find parking in some cases," a Pakistani truck driver in Al Majaz said.

Desperate drivers are also parking illegally on pavements and resorting to double-parking, leaving their mobile numbers behind as a courtesy to motorists blocked out.

No guests, please

A motorist in Abu Shagara said he often stays at home on weekends because he is afraid of losing his parking spot. He said he was embarrassed to invite guests to his place because they would have to inevitably spend "30 minutes" in finding parking.

"I feel like I've won the lottery if I find parking nearby. Many people can't take it and park very far from home," the tenant from Abu Shagara added.

The multi-storey paid car parks were designed to hold between 800 and 1,600 vehicles. It is unclear how much parking would cost there.

Motorists pay between one and two dirhams per hour for public street parking and about Dh10 per hour in private parking lots, which have sprung up close to the planned municipality car parks.

Source: Gulf News

Convenience store prices to fall in line with larger supermarkets

Ministry of Economy to launch awareness campaign on consumer laws

Sharjah: Local groceries or baqala, popular in residential areas for their convenience, will soon be unable to charge more than hypermarkets and co-operatives for basic commodities, according to a government official.

The Ministry of Economy (MoE) will launch an awareness campaign aimed at educating grocery owners on consumer laws, especially the price caps on selected commodities imposed by the government, said Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of the Consumer Protection Department at MoE.

"They don't speak Arabic. They must be educated on the law, but this will take time. We will start after Ramadan," he said during an inspection of the Sharjah Co-operative Society in Helwan, as part of a series of trips to monitor prices and make sure outlets are abiding by the consumer protection law.

Al Nuaimi said the government initiative to freeze prices of more than 1,000 commodities across hypermarkets and co-operatives also applied to groceries — who traditionally charge higher prices for the convenience of location and home deliveries.

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Pointing to a bundle of parsley, Al Nuaimi said: "Green leaves are usually expensive during Ramadan. Now it's 95 fils… if groceries are selling them for Dh4, it's a violation. Tell me where they are and I will fine them."

However, he said it was not practical to have inspections of hundreds of groceries around the UAE and urged consumers to complain about raised prices through the Consumer Protection hotline.

"Come to the big outlets because prices are fixed. Why would you go to a grocery that charges higher when prices here are fixed?" he said.

Al Nuaimi said the 23 branches of the Sharjah Co-operative Society across Kalba to Sharjah city all offer fixed prices. "The co-operative is taking on a big responsibility to freeze prices and it pays from its own pocket."

There is a 20 to 30 per cent decline in prices in Sharjah during Ramadan compared to the same period last year, he said.

"There is a balance in the market. Price-fixing has created a parallel market," he said, urging shoppers to come to the outlets that support this initiative rather than the more expensive groceries.

Eid preparations

Al Nuaimi said he was satisfied with the prices and availability of basic goods such as sugar, rice and flour at the Sharjah Co-operative Society.

Shoppers gearing up to buy traditional Eid sweets or new clothes can expect prices to remain stable, according to Al Nuaimi.

"We have controls during Eid, prices will not rise," he said, referring to retailers that inflate prices during the season.

The results of a campaign launched by the MoE aimed at tailor shops and abaya stores across the UAE will be are expected within two days, he said. "I expect the reports to be good."

Asked if the ministry is taking action against cafes and Ramadan tents that are charging higher prices for shisha during Ramadan, he said: "If consumers find the prices increasing, they should contact the ministry and complain on the consumer protection hotline."

Consumers can report price violations to the ministry via the hotline 600 522225.

Source: Gulf News