Legal war looming between illegal massage parlors & Kuwait Municipality, says official
‘Revoke all licenses, re-issue after careful study’
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 12: A legal war is looming between the violating ‘massage parlors’ and the Kuwait Municipality, especially that the member of the Municipal Council, Engineer Abdul Salam Al-Randi is back at work, reports Al-Rai daily.
An official at the Kuwait Municipality revealed that the senior management meeting to be held in the presence of Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Fahd Al-Shoula shall discuss the violations, licenses and the mechanisms of organizing such parlors.
The source told the daily that the solution to the file of massage parlors needs concerted efforts of many government institutions (the Municipality, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Public Manpower Authority and the police), and other related parties.
It is also necessary to form an integrated team within one joint committee away from the Tripartite Committee comprising members from the Municipality and minister of Social Affairs and Commerce and Industry.
The sources added, the mechanism for action that is currently in place is unfeasible since the Municipal teams cannot work alone to end the violations committed by various institutions.
He source pointed out the violations are not only technical, but there are other aspects such as the legitimacy, security, health and called on the Ministry of Commerce to revoke the licenses of all parlors and send copies to the Municipality for technical inspection, and re-issue the licenses legally in accordance with certain controls and requirements.
The source said the Municipality is fully aware that there is no commercial license under the name of a massage parlor, and what is issued by the Ministry of Commerce is a license for health activity, and therefore the legality or otherwise can be ascertained of
the existing activity.
In this context, Al-Randi posed series of questions to the executive branch in the Municipality about the mechanism of monitoring the massage parlors, explaining that his questions come in the interest of preserving the customs and traditions of the Kuwaiti society and the Islamic Shari’a.
He added, recently some irregularities were discovered inside the massage parlor which shows these massage parlors have deviated from the purpose the licenses were issued.
Al-Randi has forwarded eight questions related to the criteria and controls for obtaining a license to open massage parlors and medical examination for laborers working in these parlors to ensure they are free from any kind of infection
and that the employees are issued documented and certified certificates from the concerned authorities.
Abandoned vehicles:
DirectorGeneral of Kuwait Municipality, Eng Ahmad Al-Manfouhi was recently quoted as saying the municipality is ready to float a tender to hire a private company to lift vehicles abandoned on street corners, public squares and open areas but is awaiting the opinion of the Fatwa and Legislation Department, reports Al-Rai daily.
He announced the company which wins the tender will also be responsible to release the ‘impounded’ vehicles and deliver them to the homes of the owners after completing all formalities
online.
Al-Manfouhi told the daily that this step is a significant shift in the Municipality’s work mechanism and will save a lot of public money.
On the procedures of lifting vehicles ‘abandoned’ on the street corners, public squares and open grounds, Al-Manfouhi said this will be done only upon instructions and direct orders from the Municipality. The role of the company will be limited to only taking the vehicles to the designated locations.
He explained the release of the vehicle will be at the request of the owner only. However, the owner must present himself at the Municipality branch or the Municipality garage when the vehicle is kept or submit an application online.