An auction house for second-hand cars will soon be set up in Salmabad to stop them being displayed on roadsides and disrupting traffic in the Central Governorate.

The Central Municipal Council has already approved the location, which will be near the Gulf Air Club, to host weekly auctions for second-hand cars.

Councillors hope the move would be a lasting solution to cars displayed for sale on empty plots or parking spaces across the governorate.

It comes following complaints that increasing number of cars on display were plaguing main roads.

Councillors directed the Central Municipality to co-ordinate with the General Directorate of Traffic in the implementation of the project.

'This is a great solution to all those parked cars in the area,' said council chairman Abdulrahman Al Hassan.

The project, proposed by Al Hassan, already received the approval of Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi in March.

Cars that are still displayed in busy areas other than the auction house will attract fines by the General Directorate of Traffic.

The council had said earlier that another proposed procedure approved by traffic officials was for cars to be towed away for such violations.

Owners will have to claim their cars from the yard at the municipality and pay for the company that towed their car in addition to the fine.

Our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN) reported in October that councillors were hoping to raise funds to pay for municipality running costs by setting up an auction of second hand cars.

Land owned by the municipality has been earmarked to allow those interested in selling their cars to display them during a weekly auction in return for minimal fees.-TradeArabia News Service