Used cars market finally moved from Sharjah's Abu Shagara

This was Abu Shagara with the used cars market. - File photo

Sharjah - The Sharjah Municipality has said that all the used cars shops have been shifted to the new market in Al Ruqah Al Hamra; not even a single car remains.

Published: Wed 6 Jan 2016, 11:00 PM

Updated: Thu 7 Jan 2016, 5:15 PM

By
Afkar Ali Ahmed

Peace is back in Sharjah's Abu Shagara after the area's traffic jam-inducing used car market has been shifted to a "more modern location" in Al Ruqah Al Hamra.
The Sharjah Municipality has said that all the used cars shops have been shifted to the new market.
Abu Shagara without the market seems to be a ghost of its past, with ample parking spaces and smooth traffic flow. This is a far cry from the area of the past, when honks from frustrated motorists and traffic snarls were the norm.

Spotted abandoned vehicles?If you spot abandoned vehicles in any residential area in Sharjah, inform the Sharjah Municipality on its call centre on 993.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Ali Hassan Ali, head of vehicles impound section at the Sharjah Municipality, said the civic body placed identification stickers on 2,600 vehicles without number plates that were parked in the area.
The municipality confiscated 35 cars that didn't have number plates, as owners failed to move the cars in the 48-hour notice period issued to them on December 31.
He said: "The owners will have to pay a fine of Dh1,000 per car to get it back." The cars have been impounded in industrial areas 11 and 12, and Al Labsah area on the Sharjah-Umm Al Quwain border.
Hassan Abdul Razaq, director of operation and municipal inspection, said: "The impounded cars mostly belonged to illegal car dealers who don't have a showroom in the new market. They couldn't remove their cars on time because they didn't have the place to accommodate the vehicles."
Razaq pointed out that the civic body coordinated with the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) and the police to shift the market.
Since the market was shifted on December 31, inspectors have been visiting the area on a daily basis to ensure that the residential area is free of used car dealers.
According to the municipality's last inspection, "not even a single used car is parked in the area".
Omar Al Sharji, director-general of customer service department, said cars without number plates affect security, as illegal residents and criminals use them as shelters or as places to store illegal items like alcohol.
Al Sharji called on residents to inform the municipality if they spot abandoned cars in any area.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com