Muscat municipality tows away abandoned vehicles

Muscat: Muscat Municipality has started towing vehicles abandoned in public places, after issuing a notice earlier.

It is not uncommon to see dust-covered cars parked for months, indicating they have been abandoned. Such cars are found in various places in and around the capital, and are now being towed away by Muscat Municipality.

Joshua Nash, a used-car dealer in Ruwi, Muscat said that these abandoned cars were owned by people who have left the country. “Most of such cars are left behind by people who lost their jobs. With no money in hand to pay back the loan taken to buy the vehicles, they just abandon the car and leave the country.”

Last year due to the pandemic many expatriates lost their jobs in Oman and left the country for good. Even now the flow of expatriates from Oman to their respective countries continues under the amnesty scheme, which exempted residents from all fees and fines arising from work permits provided they leave the Sultanate for good. The initial deadline was December 31, which was extended till end of March this year.