Friday, Jun 03, 2016

Dubai: There is no total ban on private Ramadan tents in Dubai, a senior Dubai Municipality official told Gulf News on Thursday.

Dawood Al Hajeri, director of the Planning Department at the municipality, confirmed that a report saying all house owners are banned from setting up Ramadan tents was not correct.

“This is a tradition of the local people here,” said Al Hajri.

“They set up tents for iftar and gatherings during Ramadan. We cannot stop that. But they also need to take necessary permits and follow the requirements,” he added.

A report in an English newspaper on Wednesday had quoted a municipality official as saying that the civic body had banned all house owners from setting up Ramadan tents in Dubai citing safety reasons, pressure on water and electricity services, contribution to road congestion and inefficient use of parking spaces.

Gulf News could not reach the official quoted in the report. However, Al Hajeri clarified that Emiratis and expatriates will be allowed to set up tents in the premises of their villas if they follow the rules.

“We will not give permit for tents set up for partying and shisha smoking. It should be used only for iftar and welcoming and greeting guests,” he said.

It is also mandatory for home owners to make sure that the tents are removed immediately after Eid.

However, big tents taking up space on the roads, causing traffic disruptions and blocking parking spaces will not be allowed. Also, tent owners will be informed of space restrictions once they approach the municipality for permits.

Ramadan tents at homes require permits from the departments of planning and building at the municipality and from the Dubai Civil Defence.

The permits for tents are issued to hotels and charity organisations as well.

Shisha restrictions for Ramadan

However, not all tents in hotels are allowed to serve shisha and there are restrictions that they need to follow, according to an official from the Department of Public Health and Safety that regulates shisha services in the emirate.

Marwan Abdulla Al Mohammad, director of the department, told Gulf News that only four- and five-star hotels in Dubai are allowed to serve shisha in their Ramadan tents.

“As per the law, one, two and three star hotels are not allowed to serve shisha. That is applicable during Ramadan also,” he said.

The four- and five-star hotels, which are otherwise permitted to serve shisha only in open spaces like rooftop terrace or gardens, have been allowed to serve shisha in tents or designated halls during Ramadan, he said.

“We have given them two options. If they want to serve shisha in tents or halls during iftar, they need to divide the area with at least 25 per cent of the space dedicated to non-smokers. Otherwise, they can start serving shisha only after 9pm since those visiting tents after this time are mainly those who smoke. But they should make sure that no children below 18 years and pregnant women are present.”

However, restaurants and cafeterias that have permits to serve shisha are exempted from this rule. They can serve shisha during iftar time in designated indoor areas, explained Al Mohammad.

No food outlets with shisha permit are allowed to serve shisha during the daytime even if they have special permission to deliver food.

He said inspections will be intensified during Ramadan and violations will attract fines starting from Dh10,000.

The municipality is set to serve closure notices to 14 shisha cafes as they repeatedly failed to rectify violations, he added.

Whether in tents or food outlets, the use of disposable pipes for shisha is mandatory during Ramadan as well, the official said.

The public can report violations to Dubai Municipality’s call centre by calling the toll-free hotline 800900.

By Sajila Saseendran Senior Reporter

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