Muscat Municipality prepares for Eid al-Fitr
The central slaughterhouse increases its capacity with cadres and
additional agencies andcomprehensive veterinary examination before and after slaughtering
intensive cleaning campaigns within days of Eid
Hotline (1111) working throughout the day to receive any report
Muscat Municipality provides its agencies with more services that suit this happy occasion to be ready for Eid where the central slaughterhouse of Muscat Municipality increased its capacity to accommodate livestock through establishment of new additional units including various kinds of livestock such as (goats and sheep) with the best technical and health standards which facilitate livestock selection and they are characterized by ventilation and breadth. The slaughterhouse utilizes its technical energy and its human cadres within morning and night shifts throughout holiday of Eid in line with intensive preparations done by Muscat Municipality in various directorates and units to provide suitable services to citizen and resident in Governorate.
Veterinary Examination and Automatic Skinning Devices
The central slaughterhouse finished its final preparations where the sites and slaughtering halls were prepared and electric and mechanical devices working in slaughterhouse were prepared and they were maintained to ensure quality and acceleration in work.The cadre was supported with 20 workers from directorates and with the available personnel, the total number will be 75 individuals of doctors, controllers, accountants, technicians, butchers and workers.
Veterinarians make great efforts in veterinary examination on livestock of different kinds that are received by the slaughterhouse. The animal is examined before and after slaughtering to make sure that it is free from any disease and ensure that the meat is unfit for human consumption. The veterinarians will provide all services to customers of slaughterhouse as well as companies and institutions of meat production.
Working Hours in Slaughterhouse
The working hours of slaughterhouse was determined as from first day of Eid to be two shifts. The first shift will be from 7:30 A.M to 3:30 P.M. After the holiday of Eid, the work will be one shift from 6:30 A.M to 1:00 P.M. The slaughtering charges are determined to be one riyal for sheep, two riyals for cows and four riyals for camels.
The slaughterhouses Administration cooperated with owners of livestock selling companies to bring more required quantities without any shortage. The Muscat Municipality also maintained all barns, provided all necessary supplies and instructed workers of companies not to use force in dealing with sheep upon their transportation.
The slaughterhouse Administration carried out all necessary supplies for parking area of auditors and prepared waiting halls. The Administration of slaughterhouse used additional crew of workers and technicians from various directorates of Muscat Municipality to achieve acceleration and quality in executing work. Moreover, Municipality prepared a team to dispose wastes of livestock in a safe and healthy way where a group of trucks allocated for that purpose will transfer these wastes to the allocated landfills.
Preparation of Gardens and Halls
The General Directorate for Afforestation and Gardens prepared to host customers of gardens, recreational sites, parks and walkways within holiday of Eid. Directorate maintained the service utilities in gardens and prepared all methods of comfort and entertainment to its customers during their visitation to the gardens in a funny and quietness environment. For such purposes, the gardens will be opened for the public during days of Eid commencing from nine A.M to twelve P.M throughout the week. Extensive areas of green grass were extended along the Sarooj beach with area of 65 thousand square meters to add more comfort and relaxation to the families.
The municipality wishes customers to enjoy their time. It also urges all to keep public facilities and gardens.
Inspection and Food Control
The health control agencies competent in field of health and food safety in Muscat Municipality intensified the visitations on food establishments during these days especially on meat selling shops, sweets and nuts shops, foodstuff shops, refrigerators and food stores to make sure of validity of food to ensure submission of food product in a healthy way and free from any pollutant to the consumer.
With regard to fresh meats, the Municipality urges the necessity of existence of Municipality seal, the matter that assures their slaughtering in the central slaughterhouse under the supervision of competent doctors as well as it protects consumer from commercial fraud. As for the imported frozen meats, the Municipality recommends the citizens to make sure of origin country of these meats through the statement card of each slaughtered animal or part of it which includes production country and validity date provided that they shall be kept in refrigerators not exceeding 4Co. The frozen meats should be kept in refrigerators not exceeding 18 Co below zero. The shop must have electric saw for cutting.
Increase of Import of Vegetables and Fruits
The Administration of Citrus Market stared coordination meetings with importation companies working in market to ensure flow of all kinds of vegetables and fruits and suitable quantities during this month to cope purchase movement that is expected to increase on all kinds.The companies started their preparation for this season through increasing number of shipments imported to market to meet needs of local consumer.
A coordination meeting was held with government authorities represented in Customs Department and Agricultural Quarantine Office in market and in presence of representatives of clearance companies to discuss some matters relating to the clearance process and inspection of refrigerators imported to market. Some recommendations are issued to help in facilitating inspection of refrigerators, ensuring their arrival to the consumer in the shortest time and ensuring the increase of offer in the holy month to reduce increase of prices. The traders were urged to not to raise prices in this holy occasion.
The Administration coordinated with Royal Oman Police represented in Al Khawd Police Station concerning intensification of police patrols to reduce Traffic jams and facilitate ingress and egress of central citrus market.The companies working in market had provided all kinds of vegetables and fruits with quantities that cover all needs of consumers to cope the purchase movement that will be witnessed by market before the days of Eid. In response to this request, the companies prepared for this season and proceeded to increase number of shipments imported to the market to meet the needs of consumer.
It is worth mentioning that the Administration of Market cooperated with government authorities, customs Office, Agricultural Quarantine Office in market and representatives of clearance companies to complete the procedures of customs clearance and inspection of refrigerators imported to market to ensure provision of such products to consumer as soon as possible.
Working Hours in Market
The working hours in markets were determined during the days prior to the holiday of Eid to be as follows: as for the main umbrella and wholesale shops, they will start from six A.M to 11 P.M along with continuation of work in retail shops on two shifts (morning and night) to 11 P.M. The activity of market will be suspended during the first and second days of Eid Al –Fitr to resume the work in the third day according to the usual time.
Inspection on Food
Last week, specialists of Administration of Market made inspection campaigns on cooling stores and other shops to make sure of validity of stored and offered goods as well as a work team was formed to work in shifts during the days prior to Eidand after it together with intensification of inspection and control campaigns on food and increase workers of public hygiene to cope with active and anticipated movement in market.