By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
Residents of some of the densely-populated areas in Doha have welcomed the Ministry of Interior’s latest instructions, aimed at preventing trailers, trucks and other heavy-equipment vehicles from parking in busy locations and certain spots in the neighbourhood.
The ministry, in an advertisement published in local newspapers, has given a January 30 deadline for the owners of heavy vehicles who park their vehicles in many open grounds in many Doha city areas, Lusail, Gharaffa, Wajba, Mauither, Rayyan, Al Hilal and Mesaimeer.
However, heavy-vehicle owners have requested the ministry to specify the areas in the above zones where there would be a ban on parking. The ministry announcement said that even though there was no ban on loading and unloading of goods from heavy vehicles in the above places they would not be allowed to park in any open areas there.
“However the government order has not said where such vehicles could be parked after January 30,” said a representative of a company owning trailers and heavy equipment, which currently uses some of the locations in the above-mentioned areas for parking their vehicles.
The order, he said, would cause “severe difficulties” to some of the companies as they were required to relocate their drivers’ accommodations to new places, mainly in locations such as the Industrial Area, where access had become increasingly difficult these days owing to the ongoing road works.
“The government order should have been clearer on those zones where vehicles could be parked after the order came into effect on January 14,” the representative said.
Some of the residents in Najma, where such parking of heavy vehicles is common, welcomed the government order. “Owing to heavy vehicles cornering the vital parking spaces in the area we encounter problems in finding parking daily,” said a resident. However, he said that so long as the entry of such vehicles (for loading and unloading) to such densely-populated areas was not banned, the residents had no complete relief.
In areas like Doha Jadeed, people face a lot of problems on account of a lack of space for parking. Some of them said the new order would help them in finding parking space not far from their residences.
