Untidy rest houses, gas stations closed down after 2-year grace period

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH – The municipalities of Jeddah, Makkah and Taif have started closing down gas stations and rest houses on highways for not complying with directives issued two years ago to improve their services, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. The closures followed instructions from Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the chairman of the tourism development council in the province, after the owners of gas stations failed to take advantage of a two-year grace period given to them to rectify the conditions on their premises, said Sultan Al-Dowsari, official spokesman for the emirate. He said a meeting of the regional council discussed the matter and reached the conclusion that the status of gas stations and rest houses on expressways in province was not up to par. Subsequently, Prince Khaled issued directives to the mayoralties of Makkah, Jeddah and Taif, branch offices of the Ministry of Transport and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and the regional governors to prepare a list all gas stations within their administrative boundaries and evaluate them in terms of compliance with the regulations for hygiene, environmental health and structure. Al-Dowsari said the directives coincided with the end of the grace period given to the owners to upgrade the standard of services provided. He said the emir had asked the authorities concerned to conduct field tours to inspect all utilities and services at gas stations and rest houses on all highways, especially the Makkah-Madinah Expressway. The emir had also asked the authorities to warn the owners and submit monthly reports on their performance to him. The utilities that needed inspection include mosques and prayer areas, restaurants, cafeterias and toilets. The inspectors were also asked to ensure all workers at these facilities were free from diseases. The field tours resulted in several observations concerning violations of hygiene and environmental rules along with the shortcomings in the services provided as well as cases of negligence in cleanliness. In line with the directives of Prince Khaled, a number of gas stations that did not take advantage of the two-year grace period that began in November 2013 have been closed down. Aside from this, Prince Khaled has issued directive to demolish all abandoned gas stations and restaurants on highways.