Many faithful who offered Friday prayers at the Souq Waqif mosque yesterday were upset when they were charged QR5 parking fee.
“I think this is exploitation because we come to Souq Waqif not to purchase anything but to pray,” a worshipper who goes to the mosque regularly told The Peninsula. He said that he had been going to the mosque to pray regularly but yesterday was the first time he was asked to pay for parking even though he stayed there for only 15 minutes.
“Usually they allow free parking up to 30 minutes for those who pray in the mosque. But today they handed all motorists slips and asked QR5 each from them upon exit,” he said, adding that normally it took 10 minutes for most worshippers to pray. When people asked, the parking personnel replied he was following instructions from the management of the parking area.
A similar problem exists in the parking lot adjacent to Fanar Cultural Centre for Islamic Studies which recently introduced pay parking scheme, charging a minimum of QR5 for the first hour and QR3 every hour. “Because of the parking fee, motorists have been discouraged to park there, so many park their cars on the road during prayers so the roads are all blocked causing traffic congestion,” a frequent visitor to Fanar observed. Parking and traffic have become a problem in the area, especially during Ramadan, worsened by road blocks caused by ongoing construction projects.
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