Sharjah, September 13: Mobile vendors including ice cream and vegetable vans and, shops selling food items outside their outlets during Ramadan continue to flout the strict rules laid down by the municipalities of Sharjah and Ajman, officials said.
Vendors who violate the municipality regulations are liable to be strictly punished including deportation.
Despite the tough steps taken, a large number of unlicensed pick-up vans selling vegetables and fruits, are seen parked in some of the residential areas in Ajman.
In areas like Al Butaina in Sharjah and Al Nuaimia in Ajman, vendors are seen selling Ramadan special food packets containing humous (chickpea paste), samosas, pies, pancakes, falafil and several other types of snacks in sultry and dusty surroundings in summer.
Izz Al Deen Konka, a resident of Sharjah said that this year the number mobile food vendors has reduced compared to the previous years due to the municipality’s efforts.
Most of the vendors handle cooked food items with bare, visibly dirty hands. Not once do they wash hands or change gloves, Konka said.
Yazeed Al Yamani, from Ajman said some biryani vendors serve improperly cooked meat particularly to bachelors who are forced to eat outside.
“I always eat from the street vendors because their food is cheaper compared to the restaurants or cafeterias who double their prices during Ramadan,” Yamani said.
Akbar Khan, a resident of the industrial area said, “Everyday I see food vendors who have long dirty nails and they handle food without washing their hands or wearing gloves, and they also dip the spoon in all the items instead of allocating one spoon for each dish.”
Rabab Dagash, a housewife based in the Al Zahara area said: “These trucks come every day to our areas. They have solved our problem of lack of food items and we are buying from them as their products are cheaper than the market. We understand that these vegetables are not in a hygienic condition and so we wash them well.”
Khalid Al Hosani, Director of the Health and Environment Section at Ajman Municipality, said mobile food vending is strictly prohibited saying that it is a violation of the health regulations set by the civic body.
The Health Section intensified the food inspection campaigns targeting these food mobile units, restaurants, cafes, and traditional food outlets to ensure strict implementation of the hygiene rules during Ramadan.
A top official from the Health Section of Sharjah Municipality said, “Inspectors and supervisors from the section drive around the city round-the-clock to ensure that mobile vendors do not exploit the holy month to increase their business,” he said.
The number to call to report about unauthorised oudoor caterers, is 993.
–Agencies