About 900 commercial resthouses in the city have been shut down for failing to abide by new rules from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. Authorities from Makkah Province, governorate, mayoralty, police and Civil Defense decided to seal off 900 commercial “istirahas”, or resthouses, after finding only one establishment in full compliance with the ministry's new rules. Ayed Aal-Abdullah, Director of Government Relations at Jeddah Mayoralty, said the remaining resthouses had been warned that they would be shut down if they failed to comply with the conditions soon. “Istirahas” are a type of resthouse with leisure facilities for families and are also popular with young people who go there to eat, drink tea or smoke water pipes. The new rules governing the resthouses state that owners must possess title deeds and that the resthouse site area must be at least 3,000 sq. m. and located along two roads, one of which should be a commercial thoroughfare. Owners must also subscribe to a computer program that keeps records of all visitors, prevent motorists from parking inside the establishment, and employing guards trained in swimming and rescue. Aal-Abdullah said the committee discovered that 70 percent of the owners have no title deeds. The committee has proposed that all Jeddah and Makkah resthouses be located on one plot of land, as is the case in Riyadh. Owners have described the conditions as unrealistic, if not impossible, and have appealed to the authorities to reconsider them. Muhammad Al-Baghami, owner of a resthouse near the Pilgrims Bridge in North Jeddah said: “I built the resthouse some years ago at great expense. The committee asked me to train the guards in swimming and rescue and instructed us to close the gates, all of which I have complied with. Then I was told to subscribe to the Shamous Program. All the owners have subscribed to the program at SR1,500 each, but the resthouses have still not been linked to the security system.” Abdullah Al-Harbi, another resthouse owner, agrees: “Being owners of resthouses we are concerned about security and have applied all the committee measures, with the exception of the two roads.” Some owners have responded to the threat of closure by removing signboards to mislead the authorities. “This will save the owners, as they will keep in touch with their old customers by phone. These draconian conditions leave them with no choice but to resort to such methods,” said a resthouse owner Khaled Al-Harbi. – Okaz __
