A proposed nationwide ban on shops, cafes and restaurants without a 24-hour licence opening after midnight has been rejected by the government.

It comes after a request from the Southern Municipal Council for the ban to be implemented in the Southern Governorate, which was dismissed by Southern Municipality director-general Assem Abdullatif '“ who said such decisions were not for the council to make, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

'The Industry and Commerce Ministry is the only body that can order closure at midnight through the police,' he said.

'We want councillors to tell us what timings they recommend for shops to stay open on what roads and which should be barred from getting 24-hour licences.

'An agreement on the timings can then be reached with the Industry and Commerce Ministry '“ it is good that the council is thinking about relieving people from noise pollution, but we need to deal with the specifics.'

Stricter enforcement of current laws was also needed, Mr Abdullatif said, as there were allegations of businesses having their commercial registrations (CRs) renewed despite repeated violations of the law.

'There has to be a system in place where violations are considered when renewing CRs,' he said.

'But what happens instead is that businessmen and shop owners turn up at the Bahrain Investors Centre in Seef Mall and get everything done in a minute.'

Meanwhile, Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry head legal consultant Abdulfatah Saleh said that the opening times for shops across each governorate had been decided 10 years ago and needed updating, but in an 'organised' fashion.

'We need a new law or regulation that determines what authority each ministry or government body has on this issue,' he said.

'At the moment it is the Industry and Commerce Ministry that has the authority, not councils, the police or the Health Ministry '“ even though they are concerned.

'Each body wants to enforce its own timings, while the Industry and Commerce Ministry is seen as lenient.'

Violations

However, applying a blanket ban on all shops opening after midnight would only lead to further violations, Saleh said.

'We want solutions and it has to be done through joint work between all of those concerned,' he said.

'Noise is an issue being tackled by the police '“ not the council '“ so we want clear reasons from the council for why shops should be closed at midnight.

'The council should draw up separate timings for each outlet. At the moment, we can't apply the decision as it is too short-sighted.' – TradeArabia News Service