Prince Mansour Bin Miteb (R), Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, tours the Saudi Exhibition and Symposium for Building Industries and Technologies at Jeddah InterContinental after inaugurating the show, Monday. — SG photo Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The Kingdom has spent more than SR30 billion on construction and development projects in the holy sites over the last 20 years, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs said Tuesday. Habib Zain Al-Abideen said his ministry has finalized a study on the expansion of Mina, which will enable the valley to receive an additional 1.5 million pilgrims on the peak days of Haj. Al-Abideen, addressing the first session of a symposium on building industries and technologies in Jeddah, said: “The study is now being examined by the Makkah Development Authority and will be presented to the higher authorities.” He also said more bridges and tunnels would be built to ease the movement of pilgrims. The symposium was an opportunity to exchange expertise, said Al-Abideen. Speakers at the sessions shed light on major construction projects being carried out in the Kingdom in cooperation with international companies. Over 200 specialists were present at the event, and many questions were raised discussing crowd management during Haj and the challenges associated with planning and implementing gigantic projects. Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Mansour Bin Miteb inaugurated on Monday the Saudi Exhibition and Symposium for Building Industries and Technologies at Jeddah InterContinental Hotel. The event aims to highlight advancements in the construction industry and sustainable development in the Kingdom. The exhibition, under the title: “Distinguished projects during the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” will last for four days. Prince Mishal Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah, was present at the inauguration. Over 100 government bodies and local and international companies involved in construction projects are participating. In his speech Prince Mansour said specialists and experts from the Kingdom and abroad are here to present a vision on the future of the Kingdom. He highlighted the importance of the Jamarat and Mashaer Train projects that will help pilgrims perform their Haj easily and safely. The prince hoped that the symposium would come up with interesting recommendations. Al-Abideen said the exhibition provides a great opportunity to plan, design and implement projects that are of benefit to citizens, expatriates, visitors and pilgrims. Many gigantic projects were implemented during the reign of King Abdullah, including those in the holy sites areas that helped reduce fatal accidents. They also helped speed up the Haj for pilgrims and eased traffic congestion. The exhibition is spread over a 10,000 square meter area and involves representatives from a number of government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, Ministry of Interior, General Authority for Civil Aviation, and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, in addition to companies that are carrying out major projects in the Kingdom. The main projects on display at the exhibition include the Jamarat project, train projects, the Grand Mosque expansion project, Princess Nora University, King Abdullah Financial Center, King Abdullah Sports City, and King Abdulaziz International Airport.
