Daraa – Mahjoub al-Hashish

Since the beginning of April, the Daraa City Council has intensified its campaigns to remove random stalls from the main roads and public squares in the city.

These stalls are found throughout the city and on the sidewalks, creating an obstacle for pedestrians, especially during peak hours, which is accompanied by the noise of vendors.

These stalls emerged after the fall of the Assad regime, and most of the products displayed are used clothes or food items and Turkish products.

Stall owners say that unemployment pushes them to seek a means of livelihood, while some residents find in the stalls an opportunity to shop at lower prices, as they are cheaper than shops in the main markets.

Attempt to organize a new market

The Daraa City Council has established a popular market on al-Tair Street in the city and has requested vendors in the streets and main squares to relocate their stalls to the new market and obtain a license from the municipality.

Mohammad al-Heila, a stall vendor in the new popular market, told Enab Baladi that activity in the market is still weak compared to the sales of his stall before being relocated to the new market.

The vendor complained about poor organization, as he comes early to reserve a spot for his stall in the market, which still lacks a precise arrangement, and specific spots for each vendor have not been designated.

Mohammad al-Haj Ali, another vendor in the new market, called for lighting the road and protecting it from theft, noting that the market needs canopies and a ban on cars and motorcycles from entering.

The Deputy Chairman of the Daraa City Council, Jihad Abu Nabout, told Enab Baladi that the establishment of the market provides a solution to secure job opportunities for stall owners and to confine them to one area while organizing them within the new market. It is located in a vital area in the center of the city, and it has started to witness an influx of residents with 70% of the stalls occupied.

Abu Nabout added that complaints from pedestrians, vehicle drivers, and the disturbance caused by the spread of stalls prompted the council to create this market.

He mentioned that dozens of kiosks in the market would be put up for investment through public auctions at the end of April.

He pointed out that the city council has worked on illuminating the new market and has carried out leveling operations for the market.

Until all stalls are relocated to the new popular market, the municipality will work on organizing and planning specific places for each stall and designating a specific area for it, along with organizing security for the entire market, according to Abu Nabout.

Stalls as a source of income

Several stall owners mentioned that the revenue from selling in the street helps them meet their needs, as the capital for stalls only consists of the cost of the goods.

Vendor Mohammad al-Haj Ali stated that he needs about three million Syrian pounds (300 USD) monthly as rent if he wishes to open a shop in the city of Daraa, which is an amount he, like many others, cannot afford.

He added that his profits from his street stall are about 100,000 Syrian pounds daily, while his sales have decreased since being moved to the new market.

Khaled al-Mahamid, who had a stall in the March 18 square, requested permits for several stalls selling hot drinks and refreshments in the squares, considering them a relief for the city’s residents and emphasizing the need for such stalls.

For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Daraa City Council said that the council is studying the licensing of shops selling refreshments and hot drinks only in public squares.

The residents of Daraa are awaiting a stabilization of prices and rents and an improvement in living conditions, as the governorate has seen an increase in property rents, especially after the rising demand for homes due to the return of some refugees from Lebanon, Jordan, northern Syria, and Turkey to their cities and towns following the fall of the Assad regime.