UAE | General

Inspectors quick to fine public for cigarette litter

Thirty-year-old Tahseen Shah, a banker, was stunned when he was handed a Dh100 fine by a Municipality inspector as soon as he tossed his cigarette on the road early this week.

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:05 July 24, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Dubai Municipality fines people who throw cigarettebutts on roads and pavements.
  • Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News

Dubai: Thirty-year-old Tahseen Shah, a banker, was stunned when he was handed a Dh100 fine by a Municipality inspector as soon as he tossed his cigarette on the road early this week.

"What is it for?" he asked. "It is for littering by throwing a cigarette butt on the road," said the inspector.

"Smokers are not fined for smoking in public areas but they do face fines for throwing cigarette butts on the road," said a civic body official. "We do impose fines on smokers for littering if they throw cigarette butts carelessly on the road or in public areas," he said.

He explained that the number of such offences has increased since the smoking ban was imposed in public offices and other establishments including banks. Most private companies premises are also smoke-free.

"Now more people tend to come out of their smoke-free offices and smoke on the roads or pavements in front of their office buildings," he said.

Municipality inspectors are vigilant and take quick action for littering roads. "The fine for littering is between Dh100 to Dh500," he said.

He said the municipality has placed ashtrays and waste bins every 50 to 100 metres in the busy central business district areas of Bur Dubai and Deira.

"But people, especially smokers don't bother to extinguish their cigarettes in ashtrays and instead carelessly throw them on the pavements or roads," he said.

"We have put some additional ashtrays in front of our building because a number of our employees have got fines for littering when they went out for a smoke," said a banker on Khalid Bin Waleed Road.

"People smoking at bus stops near our bank are fined regularly," he added.

Public areas: Dubai Municipality regulates smoking

The Dubai Municipality started implementing its ban on smoking in public areas from May 31, implementing it in government offices.

From September 15, smoking will be regulated in shopping malls and amusement centres. Fines will be imposed on violators in 2008.

Do you think the fine is too much or too little? Should there be more stringent action, as it can be hazardous?


Your comments


I think putting a fine is the best way to stop these smokers from smoking in the public places, especially in the malls. It?s very irritating when you are standing next to a smoker in an escalator, you will end up inhaling the suffocating smoke from their cigarettes.
Thelma
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 08:23

It's a very good step and more action should be taken against these violations.
Singh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 08:20

Well done. This is a very good measure taken.
Riza
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:59

Good move from the municipality. Smoking should be strictly banned all over the UAE. People who throw their cigarette butts on the road while driving should also be punished.
Sebastian
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:37

I strongly believe that the smoking ban should really be enforced not only on the street, but more so in malls as we bring in our children to the same. And more often than not, they are exposed to second hand smoke of people who do not even think of the damage it brings to the children. I believe a much bigger fine should be imposed to better restrict this kind of acts.
Claudette
Manila,Philippines
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:35

In countries like Canada, US and Europe, people would clean up after themselves and make sure they don't litter in public places and/or restaurants. It is a simple act of courtesy and good will. So, I agree with the fine on smokers and non-smokers for littering in public. That will teach people how to respect the country they live in. On a separate note, I propose a smoke ban in bars, pubs and night clubs as well.
Wissam
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:23

Perfect fines! Should make it, 1st fine, 2nd fine and if repeated again, 3rd fine plus public service (cleaning the street in the busy area). This system works very well in Singapore and that's why their country is so clean.
bob
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:13

I think the fine is just the beginning, I?m sure more will be done about this. Fines will increase in the future because you will only be allowed to smoke outdoors so therefore the municipality will make more money, which is why they made this rule.
Isa
Montreal,Canada
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:07

It?s a really very good step. But we have to educate the smokers too. We can educate them by encouraging companies to place ashtrays outside of the company premises where the smokers could feel easy to smoke. We can also request the cigarette manufacturers to publish a small advertisement on each pack regarding disposal of cigarette butts in ashtray. We should also impose fine on those companies which don't place ashtrays outside of the company premises or they make a smoking zone.
Omar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 25, 2007, 07:07

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