Muscat – Despite the government’s continuous efforts to curb street vending activities in Muscat and beyond, the capital city is witnessing illegal selling of fish every day.

Muscat Daily took a tour around busy market places in three areas, and found out that the bylanes and small thoroughfares in Ghala industrial area, Mabela industrial area, and North Al Hail buzzing with activities as soon as pick-up trucks arrive with fish in the evening.

Sale of fish is conducted on these streets every evening.

Local residents are not quite happy with such ‘illegal activities’ in their neighbourhoods. Some of them called for tougher measures to prevent illegal selling of fish on streets.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Hamoud al Hadrami, a resident of Seeb, said, “Unfortunately, this negative phenomenon has spread to Seeb as well. It is causing a lot of problems such as traffic congestion, random gathering and bad smell.”

He explained that selling of fish on streets can be hazardous to environment and health as vendors throw fish waste on the streets.

“We call on the responsible authorities to take strict decisions to reduce this practice, which employs expatriate workers who do not hold legal residence cards,” said Hadrami.

According to Naser al Saeedi, a taxi driver, vendors in Ghala industrial area are seen in the evening as “many of the expatriate workers in these areas need to buy fish after finishing their work at night”.

He felt that the authorities should provide a lasting solution to this phenomenon.

Sultan Saif, a resident of Mabela, said that street vendors are regularly seen in the fifth industrial area of Mabela.

“The responsible authorities regularly conduct campaigns to restrict such practices and I advise people to buy fish from official markets and malls to help the authorites to curb this phenomenon.”

“I also think providing mobile carts equipped with refrigerators to sell fish in those industrial areas and other places will help reduce random selling and provide job opportunities for citizens,” said Sultan.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) issued a decision No 312/2014, notifying that it would be illegal to sell fish outside markets and ports specified by the ministry.

‘Selling fish on the streets can be hazardous to the environment and human health as vendors throw fish waste on the streets,’ the ministry stated.