Okaz/Saudi Gazette ABHA — Residents of Muwadhafeen (employees) district in Al-Wisam Plan in the southern Asir region have threatened to sue the Asir Mayoralty and Saudi Electricity Company for narrowing the gateway to the district, making their entry and exit extremely difficult. The entrance's width has been reduced from 20 to three meters as a result of the establishment of a high voltage power generator and a bank branch. The residents blamed the mayoralty and the electricity company for the plight. They are planning to sue the two organizations if they did not shift the generator and the bank to another place. "The narrow entrance will make it difficult for Civil Defense firefighters and Red Crescent volunteers to reach the district at times of emergency," a resident told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The residents also find it difficult to get water when government supply stops as drivers of big water trucks refuse to serve them because of the narrow gateway. "We have lodged complaints to the mayoralty several times but it has not taken any corrective action," said Ahmed Nasser Al-Qahtani, a resident of Al-Wisam. The narrow entrance exposes the mayoralty's wrong and faulty planning, he added. Awad Yahya Al-Qahtani said residents were facing difficulty to reach the district. "I am sure the Civil Defense would not be able to bring its machinery to the district in case of a fire or any other accident to conduct rescue operation and provide first-aid services." Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Ahmary said the residents were not against the generator and the bank branch. "We are against the poor planning of the mayoralty as it allowed the two vital projects at the entrance of the district creating problems to residents." Saeed Mohammed Al-Amri also lambasted the mayoralty's poor planning. "While implementing projects it does not consider the interest of residents. We will take legal action against the mayoralty and the electricity company if they did not remove the electricity post from the entrance and stop the bank project, which have blocked the gateway," Al-Amri said. "The problem does not end here. The residents of Al-Wisam find it difficult to convince water truck drivers to supply water when required as most of them refuse to come because of the bottleneck caused by the narrow entrance," he explained.
