Muscat municipality: constant attention to negative phenomena in public facilities and parks
By: Bushra Al-Busaidiyah
Muscat municipality is making vigorous effort in creating public parks and children`s playgrounds in different neighborhoods in Muscat. However, despite this important roles, the Municipality faces some challenges that hinders the progress made in this field. One of these challenges is tampering with public facilities which has economic and social dimensions.
Types of Tampering
Public utilities are classified as a public property, and they were found to benefit all the community. Forms of tampering with public utilities include tampering with its games, lighting poles, irrigation systems, throwing waste randomly, grilling or making fires in green landscapes, graffiti etc.
In this context, Mrs, Asmahan Ashu`Shukailiyah, who is a social researcher in the awareness department in Muscat municipality said that tampering with public utilities and properties violates the local ordinances prescribed by Muscat municipality law issued by the Royal Decree (32/97). It also puts an additional burden on the municipality to repair the damaged caused to such utitities.
Laws and regulations
Article (3) of the law prohibits others from picking flowers, climibing trees or cutting their branches, or walking in wet green lanscapes, or making fires or damaging plants, or tampering with irrigation systems or driving motorbikes and cars on to the public parks or on the beaches.
And as explained by the article (4): goers of public gardens, public parks or playgrounds are prohibited from doing any action that causes annoyance to others like; turning the volume of musical devices up and loud, or doing any indecent act. Article (5) states that it is prohibited for any person to leave children under the age of eighteen without his supervision during their presence in gardens, public parks or playgrounds. Followed by the article (6) that prohibits any person from bringing animals to the parks and fields and public parks. Article (9) states that the municipality shall determine the visiting hours and identify the days and times permitted to visit, or whenever necessary, and also it shall issue organizing instructions in such places.