To alleviate city center congestion

Karbala to open seven modern markets to eliminate street vendors

2024-08-07 | 21:26

KARBALA – Karbala is set to open seven modern markets across various neighborhoods as part of the municipality’s plan to eliminate street vendors and unlicensed stalls. The new markets will be located in Al-Maamalji, Al-Wafaa, Al-Milad, Ramadan, Al-Atibaa, Dhubat Al-Usra, and Al-Hur neighborhoods. The local administration has not yet announced a start date for the project.

The vendors will be relocated to the new markets under the Musataha system, a legal framework that grants an individual or entity the right to use, develop, and benefit from land owned by another party, typically the state or a private landowner, for a specified period.

Nasir Hadi Jassim, an official with the Karbala Municipal Revenue Division, stated that the markets will be established in phases. The first phase involves creating modern, standard-compliant markets, and the second phase involves setting up areas for street vendors.

Each market’s capacity will vary based on its location. The Al-Hur market will feature 23 shops, while the Al-Atibaa market will include 200 shops and 150 designated vendor spots. The Al-Maamalji market will provide 150 vendor spots near the fuel station, and the Dhabat Al-Usra market will have 150 commercial shops. The Al-Wafaa market will cover an area of 3,000 square meters with 250 commercial shops.

“The purpose of these areas is to gather street vendors from sidewalks and public squares into designated locations, organizing traffic and improving environmental and health conditions, while presenting Karbala in a more orderly manner,” Jassim explained.

Vendors appear to support the new plan. “Moving to the market will reduce congestion in the city center, and goods will be better preserved. However, the rent must align with our income,” said Risaan Mohsen, a street vendor.

Salah Al-Silawi, a local journalist, suggested that before resolving the issue of unauthorized vendors, the government needs to address the reasons why street vendors operate on sidewalks after previously gathering in regulated markets.

“I believe the primary cause is the repeated migration from rural areas due to wars and economic conditions. The government should count these vendors and explore ways to help them return to their original areas through financial grants or loans, or by settling them in the city appropriately,” Al-Silawi added.

He concluded that if the issue of rural residents moving to urban areas is not addressed, these markets will not be enough to accommodate the growing number of vendors.