DOHA: Citizens and expatriates have given mixed reaction to the decision of the Ministry of Interior to send back the cars overloaded with passengers from Abu Samra check post.
The decision will impact local tourism since some visitors from neighbouring countries may avoid Qatar, according to some people.
And those with one car and big families may cancel plans to visit Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring states, they said.
The ministry has decided to stop all cars with passengers above the permissible capacity from exiting or entering the border post for the safety of the passengers.
“The ministry did not consider Qatari families most of which have several children, housemaids and elderly parents and relatives. They wanted to take entire families for Omrah or other neighbouring countries for fun,” a Qatari woman told Al Arab.
The decision will force them to cancel trips because they cannot take some family members with them and leave others at home, she added.
Regarding safety of motorists and commuters, she said, “The safety can be maintained through other measures and not by reducing the number of passengers.”
The decision can also adversely affect local tourism as tourists from other GCC countries arrive in Qatar by road, especially at this time, she said.
“GCC tourists are flooding Qatar. We were surprised when we heard about the decision. What about tourists who want to visit Qatar?
“They have also big families like we have. They will be sent back from the check post. Is it reasonable? They will be turned back because they will be carrying more children more than permitted. It is strange.”
However, Al Juri Saeed welcomed the decision and argued that it was taken for the safety of the passengers. Some motorists carrying too many passengers pose danger to themselves and others and breach safety and security measures, he added. The Peninsula
