A number of abandoned vehicles on a vacant plot beside C-Ring Road. PICTURE: Najeer Feroke.
Several years have passed since the search for a solution to the issue of abandoned cars began, but the problem continues as one can find such vehicles at various places across the country, local Arabic daily Al Watan has reported.
The authorities concerned conduct search-and-removal operations to deal with the problem, but without the existence of a clear law that would prevent the chronic practice of dumping cars in a manner that distorts the urban landscape, the report states.
The main reasons behind the proliferation of abandoned cars, according to the daily, include the rise in the population and number of vehicles, accumulation of traffic violations against some owners, which prompts them to get rid of their vehicles, and the practice among some expatriates to abandon their cars when they leave the country for good after being unable to sell their vehicles, according to the report.
Besides being an eyesore, abandoned vehicles are also considered as potential sources of hazards — such as fires — by many people. Citizens point out that the problem persists despite the efforts of municipalities, which have removed a large number of abandoned cars after the issue of a ministerial decision to form a committee in this regard, the report explains.
The committee decides on fines to be imposed on the owners of such vehicles before their removal by the municipalities and security authorities. While acknowledging that this has helped improve the situation, they said the problem still exists, the report adds.
