Vegetable vendors in the subway

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Sharjah

I consider subways as the safest means of pedestrian crossing. But, I noticed something surprising and would like to raise it with the relevant authorities.

A few days ago, while crossing the subway on Al Wahda Road, in Sharjah, I saw some vendors selling fruit and vegetables, which were neatly displayed in carton boxes (as seen in photograph).

It was a disturbing sight for me, as all these years I have never seen anyone selling or purchasing something from, literally, under the road. Do these people possess a licence for selling the vegetables? And if yes, then why are they hiding in a pedestrian subway?

As far as I know, the subway is a tunnel under a road to be used by pedestrians to cross from one side of the street to the other. It is supposed to be one of the safest ways of hassle-free crossing. Whenever my children are alone or with their friends, as a parent, I always advise them to cross from the subway.

I believe that no one should be allowed to sell anything or sit there for any reason. It should be meant only for crossing. I would like to request the concerned authorities to please look into this matter, so that the residents don’t feel unsafe when using a subway.

— The reader is a teacher based in Sharjah.

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