(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY, Jan 28 : In this week's Arab times online poll, readers shared their views on the issue of new fines for those hanging laundry in their apartment balconies. A majority of the respondents felt that this phenomenon was result of apartment rooms being too small. A new campaign undertaken by the Municipality that will fine those who hang their laundry from balconies made the news a few days ago and garnered both positive and negative reactions from the public.
The Municipality has stated that the aim of this campaign is to improve upon the look of Kuwait's residential areas.
57% of voters felt that they could only hang their clothes in the balconies as the rooms are too small. "Go to any new building in Salmiya and all you can fit into a bedroom nowadays is a small bed and a small cupboard, and maybe you will have room enough for one person to walk around the room. I think this is the reason people have to use the balcony space to dry their laundry and some even use it for storage. When I first came to Kuwait in the 90s, I remember the flats being very spacious, now they are like matchboxes", a reader shared.
15% of voters felt that a hue and cry would be made for a few days and then the matter would be forgotten. "Like a lot of rules and directives in Kuwait, this will come and go. I don't think it is important enough to actually matter in the long run" a voter shared. Another respondent pointed out that flats in most of the newer buildings do not have balconies. "So in a few years, when all the old ones are demolished and replaced by new buildings, this rule will automatically become obsolete", he said.
8% of voters agreed that drying clothes in the balcony harms the beauty of the building and another 8% pointed out that other countries also have similar beautification laws. 6% of respondents felt that dish antennas and storage items should be fined too. "I think laws like this are necessary when people do not have any sense of propriety and hang their undergarments for the world to see. It is unsightly and I hope these fines will be enforced rigidly. No one can deny that this will greatly improve the appearance of our surroundings", a reader pointed out.
4% pointed out that laundry prices were exorbitant in Kuwait. "It is very hard to dry clothes indoors in the winter and it is not possible for families to use a laundry service because they are too expensive", an expatriate homemaker shared. "I think the Municipality should make it a priority to curb house rents; only then can we afford to use laundry services", another voter shared.
Other residents and workers felt that they were being penalised for minor faults. "Every time I read the newspaper, there is some new way I can get fined. Living in Kuwait has become a cat and mouse game for expatriates."
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