Street vendors arrested in Muscat

Muscat: Muscat Municipality has arrested a group of street vendors in the Wilayat of Seeb for selling products in public spaces and not meeting the food safety requirements of the country.

"In cooperation with the Royal Oman Police and the Ministry of Labour, Muscat Municipality in Seeb arrested street vendors from sidewalks and public parking lots, and confiscated their goods for posing threat to the environment, risks to public health, and bad impact on the aesthetics of the city. The municipality calls on everyone to abide by the laws and regulations," the Muscat Municipality said in a statement.

The municipality is intensifying raids on street vendors to ensure the safety of food they sell, as well as for ensuring that the product that reaches consumers are hygienic and free of contaminants. Furthermore, it is ensuring that the products are in compliance with health requirements.

Street vendors are people who display their products in public places. Among the health risks and environmental damages caused by street vendors are:

1- Distorting the aesthetics of the city with visual pollution and waste.

2- Vendors may sell spoiled materials that are harmful for consumers, as they may not be meeting food safety requirements, posing a threat to public safety.

3- Obstruction of traffic due to overcrowding of vendors and pedestrians, as well as tax evasion and illegal competition for organised trade.