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Sharjah - Food truck business will be controlled and monitored by the health department of the municipality.

The Sharjah Municipality has introduced strict regulations to ensure food safety and hygienic conditions for food trucks in the city, said the civic body chief.
Thabit Al Taraifi, director-general of the municipality, told media persons that following the permission given by the Sharjah Executive Council to owners of food trucks to operate in the emirate, the municipality, in coordination with other departments, has introduced strict conditions and requirements for food vending vehicles.
Food truck business will be controlled and monitored by the health department of the municipality to ensure that they are following health conditions that ensure public health and contribute to providing best quality food for consumers. "The mobile food trucks will fall under the guidelines of food transporting and supplying vehicles," he added.
Transparency
During the brief, Al Taraifi stressed that the municipality follows an open door policy in dealing with media and public. The civic body is currently implementing a comprehensive strategy to improve the services provided by various departments.
He pointed out that the municipality recently launched the Ain Al Madina (Eye of the City) initiative, under which all the employees of the municipality are added in a WhatsApp group. The employees keep surveillance on the activities in the city and report any negative phenomena on the group, in order to take the necessary actions against the perpetrators of any violations.
"The municipality further plans to transfer the initiative to a smart app under the name "We all are municipality" and be made available to the public through their smartphones. "The public will be able to register complaints with the municipality through the app and can also contribute to the civilised face of the emirate. Curbing illegal activities and practices requires efforts from all concerned departments and the public," Al Taraifi said.
Long-term parking
The Sharjah Municipality chief explained that the civic body is establishing a control room for long-term services in highly populated areas in the city. The control room will be operational within next three months.
The municipality decided to initiate long-term parking services for people travelling outside the country for a long time, and cameras installed in the parking lots will be powered by solar energy, he added.
It also provides many features including constant supervision by the security guards of these parking areas throughout the day and night in addition to ensuring the cleanliness of the vehicle. The service would help motorists avoid parking fines and protect their vehicles from various weather conditions.
"The service is aimed at eliminating the problems of congestion and improper parking of vehicles under buildings, in front of houses and in the yards of mosques for a long time, especially when the owners travel for summer vacation.
"The improper parking in public streets causes traffic congestion and distorts the beauty of the emirate, as these cars are subject to accumulation of dust and dirt on them, forcing the municipality to take action against them. The long-term parking services will solve all these issues," he explained.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah