AMMAN - The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Saturday said it will tighten its procedures for renewing occupational licences of wedding halls and car showrooms in the capital.
The new measures will reduce the number of violations of the regulations in force and help beautify the capital's streets, according to Mazen Farrajen, director of the GAM press centre.
By the beginning of next year, the municipality will send 100,000 SMS messages to remind business owners in Amman to renew their occupational licences, Director of GAM's Occupational Licensing and Advertisements Department Faleh Al Shamari said.
However, GAM will speed up the administrative process for these licences, he added, noting that "third-party government institutions should follow up directly with the business owners".
The current process requires business owners to obtain clearance from other government agencies to renew a licence, Farrajen said.
"This of course does not include the annual subscription to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry," Shamari noted.
The municipality has established two units at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Amman Chamber of Industry to reduce the time needed for issuing or renewing occupational licences, Farrajen added.
Also by next year, GAM will require car dealers to provide bank guarantees instead of notary public warranties as a prerequisite for renewing occupational licences for their showrooms, the municipality announced yesterday.
This new measure will allow the municipality to have full control over the 562 car showrooms within its borders, particularly when their owners seek licence renewal from GAM, Shamari said.
"By asking for a bank guarantee, GAM will reduce the number of violations committed by car showrooms, such as displaying cars for sale on the sidewalk," he noted.
Meanwhile, wedding hall owners will have to assign parking spaces, in a measure intended to prevent guests from blocking roads with their cars.
Owners of such halls must designate one parking space for each 40 square metres of built area, he added, noting that the municipality will be very strict in this regard, especially when the owners seek to renew their licences.
Currently, there are 115 wedding halls in the municipality, according to GAM.
© Jordan Times 2009
