DUBAI The mother of all weekends is here and Dubai is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the Eid Al Fitr festivities are a smooth sail.
As tour operators report an unprecedented influx of tourists, largely from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries, the scale of celebrations will be much bigger, with an array of attractions and entertainment options planned across the emirate. The malls and the roads leading to them are expected to run to full capacity, with every effort being made to manage the huge crowds and prevent any eventuality.
Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Service CEO Khalifa Hassan Al Darrai told XPRESS Dubai Mall alone will have four ambulances and three first aid stations on standby. He said: “DCAS will deploy 830 paramedics, three ambulance buses and three trucks of medical supplies during Eid. Seventy five of our ambulances will be on duty 24 hours,” he said.
Malls, parks and beaches will see extra deployments as will Eid prayer destinations like Naif, Nad Al Hamur, Al Mankhool and Zabeel, he added.
According to a Labour Ministry circular, the Eid Al Fitr holidays for federal ministries and authorities will begin from July 16 (29th Ramadan 1436) and end on the third day of Shawwal, while private sector employees will get paid holidays on the first and second day of Shawwal.
Security beefed up
Dubai Police have intensified security. According to reports, it has deployed 403 police patrols and 216 civil police patrols to ensure public safety. Malls and other public places will be under strict surveillance, with patrolling teams being dispatched to beaches and parks to prevent any untoward incidents.
Maitha Bin Udai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said 20 signs have been installed in Burj Khalifa district to guide traffic to internal roads of Business Bay up to Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road to ease pressure on Dubai Financial Centre Road.
Ten public buses have been deployed to offer free commutes from Dubai Mall to Dubai World Trade Centre. They will run from 1pm till the end of the events during the holidays. Traffic controllers will be also be positioned along different points to direct the public to specific loading areas.
All Dubai Metro Red Line stations will be open from 10am on Friday to 2am the next day, with the Saturday services being reinstated at 5.50am till 2am the next day. On Sunday, they will begin at 5.30am and run till midnight. The schedule for the Green Line services will also be the same, except for Sunday morning when the stations will open at 5.50am. All Metro Express services will be available from 5.30am while the Metro feeder buses will be open from 5.15am to 1.10 am the next day.
On Friday, Dubai Tram will run from 9.30am to 1.30am the next day. On Saturday and Sunday, it will operate from 6.30am to 1.30pm the next day.
The Al Ghubaiba bus station will be open 24 hours as will the Sharjah (Jubail) station. In Abu Dhabi, the bus station will operate from 4.15am to 12.30 am the next day.
Ninety five per cent of the taxi fleet (9,341 vehicles) will ply and all public parking will be free of charge, except in the fish market parking zone and multi-storeyed parking areas.