TAIF – People of Hawiya, located north of Taif, have accused Taif Municipality of not fulfilling its promise of shifting the disorganized sheep market from the township to another place in the last 20 years. They held the municipality responsible for environment pollution caused by the market. The residents said the municipality was giving them unacceptable excuses for the delay in shifting the market to a safe location away from residential areas. It has put the blame on traders who allegedly refused to shift to new locations. Fahd Al-Quthama, a resident, said he would not believe the latest statement by the municipality suggesting the sheep market would be shifted from the center of Hawiya to a new place. "In the past 20 years we have heard many such statements but nothing happened on the ground," he said, adding that 80 percent of players in the market are African immigrants. Mohammed Al-Odwani also said expatriates have been dominating the market for decades. "They have been inheriting the trade from generation to generation," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. Sultan Al-Baqami highlighted the problems caused by the sheep market in Hawiya, saying it has been spreading bad smell and polluting the environment. "We have seen authorities removing such markets from the residential areas of Kharma, Mawiya, Turba and Um Al-Daum and we eagerly await the shifting of the market in Hawiya," he added. Badr Al-Otaibi wanted Taif Municipality to set a specific date for shifting the market, instead of making false promises. Okaz/Saudi Gazette tried to contact Ismail Ibrahim, spokesman for the municipality, to convey the concerns of Hawiya residents but he did not respond to repeated phone calls. The municipality recently made a statement on its plan to shift the market to a new location. A committee comprising representatives of relevant departments and agencies has visited the location. The municipality said it was the fourth place it identified to shift the market, adding that traders had refused to shift to other places in the past, citing different reasons. Taif Mayor Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Mukhrej has urged his aides to take quick measures to shift the market. "We have to ready the new location as quickly as possible to accommodate the market after meeting all requirements," he said in a statement. "Coordination should be made with relevant government departments to prepare the market in the new location north of Taif for the benefit of citizens and traders," he added.
