Smoking e-cigarettes at entrances of Dubai malls illegal

Dubai - Dubai Municipality has urged mall security and officials to report violations.

Shopping centres and malls in Dubai have been directed to encourage their security personnel to report people caught smoking in banned areas to the police. The Dubai Municipality has stressed its seriousness in implementing the ban on electronic cigarette smoking in public places and shopping malls.

"The municipality has noticed that there are some shopping centres that allow violations of the indoor smoking ban, especially the so-called electronic cigarettes, and allow smoking at the entrances of shopping centres," said Redha Salman, director of public health and safety department at the municipality.

He said that the decision in 2009 to ban smoking in public places also includes electronic cigarettes.

Khater Al Nuaimi, director of customer relations and partners department at the Dubai Municipality, recently organised a meeting with a group of officials from shopping centres in the emirate to discuss customer complaints about the practice of electronic cigarettes smoking at shopping centres.

Al Nuaimi said the meeting was planned by the municipality to be a "mini-majlis" for exchanging experiences to discuss the issue of smoking and how it affects public life. He said the main objective of the meeting was to protect public health and implement the law.

According to the federal anti-smoking law that was issued in 2009, a person found smoking in prohibited places can be fined up to Dh1,000.

• Dubai