AMMAN —
Jordanians welcomed a decision by the
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources,
Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, for introducing an application for shops distributing gas
cylinders for cooking and heating.
اضافة اعلان
The minister said
the decision would eliminate the use of music through loudspeakers to alert
customers that a truck laden with gas cylinders is in the vicinity.
The short piano
melody “Für Elise” by famed German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven
echoed through the seven hills that make up the Jordanian capital Amman since
the late 1980s. It replaced an old alert method whereby gas distributing trucks
honked their horns, whistled, or banged on the cylinders with a spanner.
But the new and
old ways drew controversy among Jordanians, many of whom said the noise created
by the trucks was unnecessary since people who needed gas cylinders could call
gas offices, known as agencies, scattered across the capital and other
Jordanian cities.
In April 2021, the
Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) posted a public questionnaire
on its website, asking Jordanians for their opinion on the sound of gas
cylinder trucks. EMRC concluded that people were divided over the use of music
for that purpose.
Amman housewife
Umm Khalid said that she preferred to buy gas through the application because
it “facilitates access to any designated location without causing any
disturbance or noise.”
“This shall be
useful, especially since everyone has a smart phone and can use it to call for
a gas cylinder,” she told
Jordan News.
She said the sound
of the melody played by the trucks did not bother her, as much as the noise
coming from people calling on the trucks to stop.
Ahmed Al-Saeed said
that he has a health problem, which makes him unable to withstand noise, and
loud voices in the street.
“The music used by
the gas cylinder vehicles, despite being nice, is annoying to me because the
driver stops the vehicle and leaves the music playing loudly as he delivers gas
cylinders to several houses in the neighborhood.” he said in an interview.
Musician Moayyad
Tahtamoni told
Jordan News that “using Beethoven’s music reduces the
artistic value of the work.”
“I find myself
dissatisfied with the selection of a piece of music by a global artist for such
a purpose,” he said. He suggested that “special music be made and used for this
purpose.”
Umm Mohammed, who
lives on the outskirts of Amman, recalled the situation in the 1990s, when
“sellers on trucks carrying gas cylinders used whistling and banging on the
cylinders to alert people they were in the neighborhood.”
She reminisced
over the difference between the 1990s and nowadays, saying “in 2009, when a
miniature electronic version of Beethoven was adopted, trucks operated them and
roamed the streets.”
“This music is
comfortable to hear and harmless, and also helps buyers secure a gas cylinder.
Once heard from afar, we stand in the window to wait for the car to pass in
front of our house and ask for a cylinder,” she added.
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