JEDDAH — Property owners are complaining about delay in compensation after their properties were demolished as part of renovation of certain areas around Jeddah. One owner, Abdulkhaliq Salmin, said he and several other property owners approached the municipality with their paperwork and property deeds. "We applied for compensation as our properties are included in the renovation and expansion project. We have not received any compensation until now and we have no idea what is the status of the project. We don't know if our properties are still included or have been exempted or has the project been suspended," Salmin said. He also said there were properties owned by elderly citizens or owners who have passed away. "There are very old properties with very old deeds that the municipality does not approve of. What will happen to these properties? Will they be compensated? And what will happen to the heirs of these properties? Has the municipality taken all of that into account?" Salim added that some of the property owners had been compensated after their properties were demolished by the municipality. Al-Sabeel neighborhood mayor, Mohammad Farhan, said the municipality had been working on renovation of the area. "The municipality has facilitated the process of compensation for some owners of real estate and property which have been demolished by the municipality to renovate the infrastructure of the neighborhoods," Farhan said. Al-Baghdadiyah neighborhood mayor, Fawaz Salamah, said some of the property owners had deserted their properties. "Some of the owners have passed away and the buildings they left behind are in a very bad shape. They pose a danger to the people in the area and must be demolished. The buildings included in the renovation program will be demolished and the heirs of the property will be compensated," Salamah said. He said that the municipality had its doors open for people to present their cases and lodge their complaints. "The municipality will form a committee to study any case presenting implications in paperwork and documentation. The municipality has already begun renovation project and has demolished several properties," Salamah said. "If any of the property owners felt they were dealt with injustice, they are more than welcome to approach the municipality to sort their problems out."
