Faster removal of abandoned cars planned, says Muscat Municipal Council

Muscat: Operations to clear streets, residential areas and public spaces of cars that have been abandoned by their owners will get a boost, as the Municipal Council of the governorate of Muscat and the Royal Oman Police (ROP) have agreed to speed up the removal of cars, Ali Al Maashari, a member of the Municipal Council, said.
According to a press release from the Muscat Municipality, abandoned vehicles are an increasing problem that affects the environment and gives an ugly appearance to the city.
“In Muscat, abandoned cars are a big problem, especially in the Wilayat of Greater Muttrah, Seeb, Bausher and, to a lesser extent, in Al Amerat and Quriyat. The biggest problem is caused by cars being abandoned in public spaces, parking lots and in front of homes. It affects not only the general upkeep of an area, but also hinders residents.”
Al Maashari added that children playing near abandoned cars are affected by dust. Also, fuel inside these cars can cause fires.
“Those who leave their cars for a long period in any of these areas have to understand that they violate the Cleanliness Law of the Governorate of Muscat. They should take care of their property, as abandoning the car might violate other laws.”
Al Maashari noted that the fine for abandoning a vehicle is OMR50 for the first two offences, and can reach OMR500 for repeat offenders,and even as high as OMR1,000.
Owners will also be liable for the costs of removing cars, according to Al Maashari. Further, if owners fail to reclaim their cars, the Municipality then will have the right to sell it at auction.
However, Al Maashari said that procedures currently take too much time and action is needed to swiftly clear the streets of abandoned vehicles.
“People now have two months to pay fines and remove the vehicles they have abandoned. We want to shorten this period to two weeks, after which the Municipality will have the right to remove the vehicle. We have proposed a new law which will give us the mandate to act on this issue and, in coordination with the ROP, immediately remove these vehicles from the streets.”
Al Maashari added that he expects higher fines will come into force in the future. However, since the law is still under study, he had no additional details to share.
Times of Oman earlier reported that Muscat Municipality and the ROP were studying a new law to assist in removing abandoned cars, following complaints from area residents.