Nuzlah district will receive full compensation for their land and properties acquired for the development project in their area regardless of having legal titles of ownership starting next Oct, according to the instructions of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region. The residents unwilling to opt for the compensation fund will be entitled to partnership investment in the development project with their compensation amounts. The new regulations came after the Jeddah Mayoralty came under fire for allegedly trying to expropriate the land in the area with no legal deeds of ownership for no compensation, only appraised amount for the equity of the land excluding its true current value. The mayoralty argued that the district was nonzoned and illegally developed; an argument that was wholeheartedly rejected by the residents. The district would fall into the urban definition of a developed area provided by the mayoralty, the residents claimed. The residents also claimed that the compensation estimates the mayoralty initially offered didn't account for adverse effects directly caused by the expropriation: moves and undertakings, loss of rent, and new home improvements. The new compensation regulations, however, will also apply to the lands and properties acquired for new development projects in the holy city of Makkah. The Jeddah Mayoralty has started to finalize acquisition procedures of targeted properties in the districts of Al-Nizlah Al-Yamaniya, Al-Sabeel, the Balad, and Al-Qurryat. Residents of targeted lands have been given a two-month grace period to give up their properties and claim compensation. Buildings of religious and historic significance such as King Saud Mosque, the Khuzam Palace, the TV Tower, the Islamic Bank, and Organization of Islamic Conference will not be touched. There has been a ban on construction in the area for four months now. – Okaz __
