In Lebanon’s northern side, and more specifically outside the motor vehicle inspection center (nefaa), Sawt Beirut International (SBI) reporter Ghassan Farran has conveyed the picture of drivers waiting in queues after the center opened its doors and started receiving vehicles for inspection.

The center, which opened after a long strike staged by its employees over the dire living conditions and the collapse of the country’s local currency, will likely witness more overcrowding in the coming days.

“I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes,” one citizen said, adding “according to the decision, vehicles will be inspected as per odd and even numbers.”

Asked about his delay in paying the mechanic fees, he replied “only two months, and I did not encounter any problems at checkpoints.”

“I’ve been waiting for half an hour, and I haven’t paid my mechanic fees since two years due to the high cost of living,” another one said.

The same situation applies to all Lebanese citizens who are forced to wait in lines to avoid a further accumulation of payable mechanic fees.