MADINA: Residents here are calling on the authorities to stop profit-seeking real estate developers from destroying palm tree farms so that they can build residential buildings on the land. They also claim that some of these developers are breaking the law by changing the title deeds from agricultural to residential land. They say these developers are offering huge sums of money to owners of these farms, particularly in sought-after areas such as Quba. Once they own these farms, then the developers burn and uproot the palm trees, turning the once-green area into arid land, claim residents. Recalling the old days, Faisal Al-Aoufi, a citizen in Madina, said that the palm tree farms have been in the area for many years. “Believe it or not, until recently, even if you offered millions to a farmer in Madina to relinquish one of his palm trees, he would stubbornly turn down your offer. But now the situation has changed. Most of the palm farms in the urban zone of the Prophet's city have been changed into huge cement buildings.” Salem Al-Senani, a citizen living in the Al-Ayoun agricultural area said, “The Quba, Qurban, Al-Awali, Shouran and Al-Ayoun districts were famous areas for the best dates. Hundreds of thousands of people from inside and outside Madina used to visit these districts to enjoy the beauty of the palm trees because most of the palm farms were in the vicinity of the Prophet's Mosque. But with the passage of time these farms have been changed into residential buildings.” Hamid Issa, an owner of one of the few remaining farms in Quba, said Ouba, Qurban and Al-Awaly are strategic locations. This is why real estate investors have been competing among themselves to buy land in these areas, regardless of the price. He urged the authorities to find a way to stop these businessmen from changing Madina into a ‘concrete forest'.
