The authorities are trying hard to stop heavy vehicles from ferrying rocks and want to switch to marine transport. Some rock quarries and transport companies have adhered to the repeated calls of the authorities to switch to marine transport to ferry rocks, but others have not.
The Ras Al Khaimah Port has played a central role to encourage companies to switch to marine transport. Saqr and Al Jazerah Al Hamrah ports are also playing a similar role.
The authorities said marine transport will not affect the business of quarries or transport companies. They have held several meetings with representatives of quarries and transport companies. A statement at the end of these meetings said marine transport will cater to the companies' requirements.
A senior municipality official said quarries and transport companies claimed marine transport would take longer to deliver. The authorities argued that ships have a bigger capacity which would benefit trade.
Companies further said vehicles would still be needed to transport rocks to ports. However, the authorities said the streets would not be damaged.
The Ras Al Khaimah Government had earlier taken note of complaints from people against the increasing number of heavy vehicles carrying rocks. It set up a special technical committee to investigate and come up with recommendations.
The committee, which was presided over by Brigadier General Sheikh Talib bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chief of Ras Al Khaimah Police, banned these vehicles from plying the emirate's streets temporarily till a final solution was found.
Colonel Abdullah Ahmed Juma'a, Head of the Traffic and Licensing Department and a member of the committee, said the problem is old. Quarries and transport companies had earlier been ordered to install metal bars on vehicles to prevent rocks from falling on the road.
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