DOHA: Neighbourhood stores in the country have got a new lease of life as the government has decided to further extend their licences for a year until early July 2014.
The State Cabinet yesterday approved a draft decision of the Ministry of Business and Trade, the licensing authority, to extend the licences of the grocery stores in residential areas. The draft is to be ratified by the higher-ups. Some store operators this newspaper spoke to yesterday, however, said they were expecting the extension as plans to relocate them were not yet finalised. The Peninsula
The owners of these stores are members of the economically weaker sections of the Qatari community such as widows and divorcees and they were given away licences years ago as help from the state.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday that the proposal to extend the licences of these outlets that dot lanes and by-lanes of Doha and other towns in the country, was thrashed out by the Ministry of Business and Trade Ministry in coordination with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. The proposal was to renew the licences of neighbourhood stores for a year beginning from July 7 this year, QNA said.
There is a long-standing government plan to relocate neighbourhood stores from residential localities and club those from each locality together and house them in a commercial complex to be built in each residential area. The plan is at the conception stage, so the Central Municipal Council has been pressing the government to extend their licences until the commercial complexes project is completed. People are largely in favour of neighbourhood stores operating in their midst as they are open at odd hours and provide home delivery services. The Peninsula
