Muscat municipality keeps watch of negative phenomena related to roads and lighting
• Tampering with light bulbs is leads into economic and human loss
• Intensive municipal efforts to remove unauthorized speed bumps.
One of Muscat municipality`s roles in the governorate is to implement various development and cosmetic projects such as roads and lighting.
A number of negative phenomena related to roads and lighting have been noticed recently including tampering with lighting lamps, making illegal speed bumps, and cutting streets.
Tampering with the lights.
Tampering with lighting lamps on streets and parks causes a serious risk to people as vandals mess up with secure cover of the panel and mess up with the connections, which deprives other from befitting from the lights especially at nights and it also puts more burden on the municipality to re-maintain them.
In an attempt to address this phenomenon, the municipality implements many awareness-raising programmes intending to raise people`s awareness on the importance of maintaining public facilities as well as the consequences of tampering with them.
According to local Ordinance No. 32/97 on the protection of public utilities of Muscat municipality, article 2 stipulates that people are prohibited from doing any damage to municipal facilities, equipment and supplies, whether by tampering, cracking, sabotage, etc., and, in particular: Irrigation systems and water connections, toilet supplies and connections, electricity meters, water and telephones, chairs, umbrellas, games and lighting, parks, squares, public squares, streets, address boards, and any other belonging to the municipality.
Installing unlicensed speed bumps.
Installing unlicensed speed breakers has been a common phenomena recently. These breakers lack the optimal technical standards, or they are installed in a random unnecessary places, furthermore, they lack the warning signboards, and they are not painted properly.
The request for a speed-breaker can be submitted by an individual or a group to a local authority composed of the Directorate general of Muscat Municipality, the Wali`s office, or the Royal Oman Police traffic engineering department).
Rules and regulations
Muscat municipality removes illegal speed bumps and poses a fine of up to 500 riyals to violators, and based on the local order No. 32/97 on the protection of public utilities of Muscat municipality of article 2 stipulates that it is prohibited for any person to do any act that would damage the facilities of the Municipality and its equipment and supplies, whether by tampering, cracking, sabotage, etc.
Cutting streets
Cutting streets is very famous among companies intending to extend services to homes, ignoring referring to Muscat municipality specifications. Such acts could make a land collapse posing a serious danger to the drivers and vehicles and could accumulate water in it.
The local ordinance on street cuts, and according to article 16 of Decision No. 212/2017, on the regulation of permits for cutting of mountains and making excavation works under roads fines any that would do such works without a municipal license with an administrative fine of 2,500 OR.