Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi along with other officials watching the presentation on new Public Hygiene Law at the Ministry headquarters, yesterday.
DOHA: Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi has directed all municipalities to enforce the new Public Hygiene Law strictly to curb the violations and encourage the culture of cleanliness in the country.
The Public Hygiene Law No. 18 of 2017 has come into effect from the beginning this month.
The Minister said that the country is serious about public hygiene. He was speaking at a meeting with inspectors of public cleanliness from all municipalities, directors of the municipalities, directors of monitoring departments and heads of the cleanliness sections at the headquarters of the Ministry, said a release.
Al Rumaihi asked the directors of the municipalities to pursue the implementation of new law by the inspectors and supervisors of each municipality. He also asked them to remain present during inspection drives at different locations. The directors were also asked to take strict legal actions against the violators and to conduct surprise raids and regular inspections to check the violations.
The Minister said that the inspectors are legal tools for implementation of the law and they are armed with all necessary powers, so they should not be lenient in thwarting the violations. The power empowers inspectors to catch the violations in all municipalities regardless of their areas of jurisdiction. It means that inspectors should not restrict themselves to prevent violations only at their respective municipality.
The Minister focused on the importance of public awareness about the new law. He asked to continue comprehensive awareness campaign through media, billboards at squares, roadsides, shopping complex and markets.
He said that the awareness campaign will help educate people in details including types of violations, punishments and fines mentioned in the law. He said that a wide range awareness campaign should continue throughout the current year adding that the purpose of law is not punishment and collecting fines but reducing violations related to public hygiene.
Al Rumaihi said that the awareness campaigns should run in different languages to reach the maximum number of expatriates. Safar Al Shafi, Director of General Cleanliness Department at the Ministry briefed the participants about the new public hygiene law in a presentation at the meeting.
The presentation focused on violations and punishment stipulated by the new law.
He said that throwing or disposing waste at public places, squares, roads, footpath on other public or private places is prohibited.
Throwing tissue papers, garbage, empty bottle or spiting on footpaths, roads or public places would invite fines, said Al Shafi, adding that leaving waste, garbage bags, left-over foods or papers in front of houses, roads or public places is also a punishable act.
