The Sharjah Municipality has released a report on the number of car owners who had their vehicles cleaned in public areas, streets, and residential locations, totalling to 681 from the last quarter.
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In its bid to further control illegal car washing, the municipality has increased the penalty fine from AED 250 to AED 500 – a violation exclusively shouldered by the owner of the vehicle and not the cleaner, as clarified by authorities.
Authorities to Fine AED 500 for Getting Car Washed Illegally in Sharjah
In the UAE, washing cars in the above-mentioned places is considered illegal as it pollutes the environment, and must be only done in assigned places or facilities. However, despite the reported cases, Sharjah Municipality has noted a decrease in such violations, as compared to the same time from last year.
According to the Head of the Cleanliness Section at Sharjah Municipality, Mohammed Al Kabbi, the municipality’s initiatives in the form of holding awareness campaigns (on social media), performing random inspections, and imposing stricter sanctions to offenders have all paid off.
With municipality-wide inspections randomly taking place, authorities have noted several watchmen, illegal workers, and those who are free at night washing the vehicles of building tenants as well as of those who often travel outside the country for prolonged periods, according to Al Kabbi.
Random inspections will continue as planned, targeting illegal car washing as well as abandoned cars – both of which leave a bad image of the city and may pose as health and safety risks to all citizens.
Other than sanitation risks, illegal car washing in the municipality as per Al Kabbi renders vehicle owners at risk for theft and other related offences. Furthermore, the practice hurts legal businesses with appropriate facilities to perform the job in a professional and eco-friendly manner, he explained.
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