JEDDAH — Municipal authorities in Jeddah shut down a total of 147 car workshops for multiple violations last year, Al-Watan newspaper reported on Wednesday. A source from Jeddah Municipality said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has put in place rules and regulations to streamline the services of car workshops and ensure that they are qualified and licensed to offer safe and beneficial services. "Workshops for car repair, car painting and carpentry are not allowed in residential neighborhoods because they cause a lot of noise and disturbance to the residents. These types of services also pollute the air and need an open space and are not suitable in crowded residential areas," said the source. The source also said the municipality runs regular inspection campaigns throughout the year and violators are notified of their violations and penalized according to the ministry's regulations. "The most common violations are usually operating without a license, failing to renew the operation license, offering unlicensed services, littering outside the workshop and encroaching on unlicensed properties," said the source. The source said all these violations all lead to the shutdown of the workshop. "Obtaining the license to operate a workshop from the municipality requires the business owner to get his location checked by the Civil Defense first. The municipality gives precedence to the safety and health of citizens and customers when giving permits to open workshops," said the source. The source also said the municipality encourages customers to be proactive in reporting any violations sighted. "Citizens can officially report a violation to the head of the municipality. Citizens also have the option to call 940 to report a violation. Another option citizens have is to report a violation through the municipality's web portal," said the source. The source said the municipality has facilitated communication between citizens and officials to encourage solidarity between the general public and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
