Oman Wires It's all about Oman
Muscat Municipality announced fines for carrying out construction in and about residential places on Fridays earlier this year. In an amendment to Decision No 23/92 issued by H E Eng Mohsin bin Mohammed al Shaikh, chairman of Muscat Municipality, on March 18, a fine of RO500 would be levied on violating contractors.
The Muscat Municipality order had brought some relief which has turned out to be brief-lived for some citizens. “When I saw construction work beginning near my house, I thought I needn’t worry considering the order to stop work at odd hours between sunset and sunrise – there wouldn’t be any noise and I’d have good rest at night. However, we have noticed some construction work going on at night despite the order,” a resident of Ruwi stated.
When Muscat Daily visited a web site at 11.30pm in CBD, a worker there stated, “As we fast in the day, night is a good time to make up for the lost time during Ramadan. Our contractor has said it is fine to work at night and there will be no problems from the authorities.”
A worker in Qurm stated, “We work till about 2am now; as it is Ramadan, we don’t work in the morning or afternoon.”
A Muscat Municipality official, nonetheless, stated, “The rule applies all year round, even in Ramadan, unless special permission is granted.”
People in residential places have raised issues. “Although it is good that these workers do not have to work during the day while fasting, authorities should ensure there is no noise at night when they work,” stated Zainab Hayan, a resident of Qurm adding that it is disturbing, especially for the elderly and tiny kids.
Information Source: Muscat Daily
