‘GAM clearing airport road from street vendors’

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has intensified its field inspections targeting street vendors and illegal kiosks on the airport road over the past few days, an official said on Tuesday.

Ahmad Ebbini, director of the GAM department to monitor street vendors, said the municipality has closed down a number of kiosks in the area, as their presence “has a negative effect on the capital’s beauty”.

“They sell vegetables and fruits in addition to other food items,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Ebbini noted that these kiosk owners had been warned in advance to remove their goods but they have not done so.

The field visits GAM teams have been conducting are part of their campaign to remove most street vendors from the capital’s streets, which the official said has been successful so far.

“Because of our campaign, these vendors have been forced to move to the airport road, and we are now working on clearing it,” he added.

Ebbini said around 10 people per day have been referred to the governor within the crackdown.

He noted that security personnel have started removing illegal kiosks on Balqa’s Jordan Street, which is not under the jurisdiction of GAM.

“This is really an important step because their presence causes great harm to residents. They force people to pay money for parking and sitting on the ground,” he added.

Ebbini stressed that the municipality campaigns will continue, especially with the approach of Eid Al Adha in September.

“The season of sacrifice is coming closer and we are going to keep a close eye on illegal vendors,” he added.