The Ministry of Municipalities and Urban Planning has launched a clean-up campaign in the Industrial Area, which needs a complete facelift given its shabby state. During the clean-up drive, abandoned vehicles, scrap material and vehicles parked for long waiting to be repaired, are being removed in an effort to ease the congestion and traffic snarls in the area. Potholes dot the streets of the area, which continue to be in a pathetic state. There are no lights on many streets and other basic civic amenities are lacking. Riding on any of the roads in the are can make you queasier than on a rollercoaster due to the abundance of potholes, complain motorists. The Industrial Area is an important part of Doha, as is evident from its name. It houses a number of car service garages, auto service centres and warehouses of major companies, corporations and trade agencies. Many small factories also operate there. This has led the area to be heavily overcrowded, with workers — many of them stay there — and the public intermingling for business. The accumulation of disposable cars and scrap on the streets and in front of garages has led to blockages on many streets. The campaign aims to continue the ministry’s effort to provide better services for companies to do their work and for the development of infrastructure in the area. But many argue that just a clean-up may fall short of what the area really needs. “It’s a hog wash,” a worker told this newspaper of the clean-up drive, and added: “What we actually need is complete renovation, of streets and other basic civic facilities.” While many commend the ministry’s campaign, others argue that a clean-up is only a temporary solution. Frequent visitors to the Industrial Area have urged the authorities to put together a complete facelift plan and do a full renovation to solve the problems in the area once and for all. Infrastructure development in the Industrial Area has witnessed a major expansion, which has led to the closure of many roads. The campaign has been planned in coordination with various departments of the Ministry of Interior, and will be carried out in various stages alongside the daily work of these departments. It is in continuation of the previous campaign, initiated by the ministry on March 19, 2009, which covered most areas in the country. An official from the ministry said the ministry hopes for the cooperation of all garages and workshops in the area, and warned that the owners of these establishments as well as the car owners will be charged for the removal of the cars and scrap. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2009&file=Local_News2009060254256.xml

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar