JEDDAH — A number of foreign workers have developed an illegal industrial city in Aziziyah District of Jeddah after the authorities asked all car workshops in Al-Nuzha area to move to the new industrial city in Asfan. Expat workers have started various activities in their newly developed illegal industrial city along King Fahd (Sitteen) Road, east of the Bicycle Square, challenging the authorities. They have opened workshops close to residences, hotels and health facilities in Aziziyah District. They have also opened a coffee shop where foreigners gather causing disturbance to residents. Fahd Al-Johani, one of the affected residents, said the workers refused to shift their workshops from Nuzha to the newly developed industrial city in Asfan. "Instead, they have set up an illegal industrial city in Aziziyah among residential buildings and shops," he added. Al-Johani said these illegal workers have distorted the district's face and made it dirty. He urged the municipality and police to take action against these foreign workers and drive them out of the district. He said rents for small shops in Aziziyah have increased after the closure of the Nuzha industrial city to SR30,000 per year. Illegal workers have rented makeshift buildings and developed them into workshops, Al-Johani pointed out. Saleh Al-Ghamdi, a hotel owner, said the illegal industrial city has tarnished the district's image. "This situation has forced many investors to shift their businesses to far off places, incurring heavy losses," he added. He said the illegals have reopened the coffee shop, which the authorities had closed two years ago, occupying part of the road and footpath. They have installed a big television screen inside the shop to show international football matches to attract customers, he said. "If I had any information that illegal workers would occupy the prime place in Aziziyah, I would not have invested millions to build a hotel in the district," Al-Ghamdi told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The illegals have disfigured Aziziyah and this has prevented many people from visiting his hotel, Al-Ghamdi said. He urged the authorities to take immediate action to drive out illegals from the district and remove old vehicles left along the streets near their workshops. "These workshops should be shifted to Asfan immediately," he said. "Illegal workers should not be allowed to continue their workshops in Aziziyah," he said. Okaz/Saudi Gazette contacted Mohammed Al-Buqami, spokesman for the municipality, to get his comment on measures to end the suffering of Aziziyah residents. But he did not respond.
