By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter

The interior of the five-storey parking lot adjoining the closed Souq Al Najada Shopping Centre has become an eyesore with rubbish strewn everywhere, despite that users still pay to leave their vehicles there, Gulf Times found.
The 12-year-old Souq Najada, the shopping plaza opposite Souq Waqif and oft-referred to as the “mobile phone Souq” was closed down on April 1, last year, apparently to give way to the Heart of Doha Msherieb project.
The presence of a large number of shops selling mobile phones, electronic equipment and watches had given the souq the image of a customer’s market because of the competition among shopkeepers.
However, since the closure of the Souq that it was originally meant to serve, the parking lot continues to offer extra space to motorists, thus providing succour to shoppers, some of whom said it is saving them the hassles of endlessly looking for parking space in the area, as well as preventing them from being fined for illegal parking, which is common sight around the Souqs.
Aside the Al Najada parking, there are a couple more paid parking lots located around the Doha Souqs, but most of the spaces are occupied round the clock and shoppers hardly find any free space to park their vehicles.
Obviously exploiting the dearth of parking space around the place, Al Najada parking operator continues to do business as usual, even long after the closure of the popular Souq.
The parking lot’s entry fee is QR3 and subsequently, QR1 is being charged for every hour.
To further confirm that the parking is strictly a business venture, there are two different ‘Souq Al Najada Parking’ signage, which are placed in strategic locations within the area in a bid to attract customers.
Also, it was clearly written at the only entrance and exit of the Souq’s parking lot that any lost ticket will attract a QR30 charge.
During a recent visit to the parking lot by this reporter, its entire ground floor was found strewn with rubbish comprising plastics, paper, empty cans and bottles, showing a total lack of maintenance of the facility.
Found on other floors that are rarely being used are industrial wastes such as damaged parts of air-conditioners, huge pile of fluorescent, broken pieces of plywood and discarded boxes.
Asked why the place was so dirty and unkempt, the lone cashier in a booth at the entrance of the parking said efforts to persuade the agent to clean the building have been to no avail.
Also, inquired where one could find the building’s administrators, he pointed at a dark and lonely office, with broken furniture, situated close to the exit, saying there is no one there to speak to.
“Many people coming here often ask me this question and for the past five months now, we have not seen any cleaners here. But I have just received information that very soon, they’ll come,” he said.
The sorry condition of the parking lot would not have stirred any serious concern were it not a paid one, as a number of users, especially first timers, wonder aloud where the money being paid for using the parking space was going to.
Citing lack of adequate parking space and avoiding unnecessary parking fines, some regular visitors to other Souqs nearby said they still prefer to pay to park their vehicles there, not minding its dirtiness and filthy as well as dark and spooky-looking ambience.
“I really don’t mind the place, which I believe was made like this as a result of shoppers’ carelessness, who are dumping their litter here indiscriminately,” a user said.
“Each time I come, I leave my car here and it is always dirty like this, even when Souq Najada was open, and it has since become worse since the closing of the Souq. However, I can’t but ask myself why the parking lot remains unkempt despite that we pay to park our cars here,” said an expatriate user.