Fines for smoking
The Dubai Municipality is all set to slap fines on the people who smoke in public places like shopping centres and malls, restaurants and cafeterias in the emirate from January.
Abdullah Rafeeu, Assistant Director-General for Environment and Public Health Affairs at the municipality, said yesterday that hefty fines would be levied on both the smoker who is not abiding by the regulation and the shopping centre, mall, restaurant or cafeteria if it allows the person to smoke inside its premises and does not react.
Abdullah Rafeeu, Assistant Director-General for Environment and Public Health Affairs at the municipality, said yesterday that hefty fines would be levied on both the smoker who is not abiding by the regulation and the shopping centre, mall, restaurant or cafeteria if it allows the person to smoke inside its premises and does not react.
Rafeeu said: “The fines will be introduced from January. The inspectors of the Dubai Municipality will take rounds of the places where smoking is banned. The Dubai Police would help the municipal inspectors and they would be given the authority to fine the offenders.
If a person is caught smoking in a non-smoking area, he will be fined Dh500. If the same person is caught again, the fine will double. The fine can go up to Dh5,000 if he is caught repeatedly violating the ban.”
If a person is caught smoking in a non-smoking area, he will be fined Dh500. If the same person is caught again, the fine will double. The fine can go up to Dh5,000 if he is caught repeatedly violating the ban.”
The authorities are setting up a computerised database of offenders to keep track of them and decide on the fines.
If a person is smoking in a non-designated area, it is the responsibility of the security guards of the place to ask him to leave the premises. If the person does not listen and continues to smoke, they can call the municipality or the police. The inspectors will arrive on the spot and fine the person, Rafeeu said.
“If it is found that a person is smoking in a non-designated area and neither the security guard nor any official of the premises takes action, the fine will go to the management of the premises as well as the smoker. The malls, shopping centres, restaurants and cafeterias will be fined Dh10,000 for the first offence. The amount will double if it is repeated,” he said.
If a mall, shopping centre, restaurant or cafeteria is not complying with the guidelines for smoking areas like proper ventilation, it would be fined Dh1,000 for the first time.
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