Mass transportation rail projects announced for the holy city of Makkah to ease the flow of more than three million pilgrims during Haj season at a total cost of SR20 billion is taking longer than expected to get off the ground because of many government departments involved in the process, said Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar in an exclusive interview. At present pilgrims travel in buses and taxis amid traffic congestion to reach the holy sites; a problem expected to increase with the yearly flux of pilgrims. “Although feasibility study for the monorail projects was approved and bidders submitted their offers, the final stage of ordering construction work is still on hold,” he said. The government realizes that public transportation in Makkah is one of the dramatic problems that need to be immediately solved to ease movement of pilgrims and residents in the holy city, he said. The strategic plan to develop Makkah is open to all, the mayor said. Makkah Mayoralty will soon announce its future plans to receive feedback from experts, opinion, leaders, and contractors across the globe to develop this beloved city to all Muslims, he said. Makkah will start to feel positive changes within only six months, the mayor assured his city's residents and visitors. “The mayoralty doesn't announce its future projects unless the funds have already been allocated to guarantee on-time completion,” he said. The northern expansion project of the Holy Haram is going as planned with 90 percent of the demolition of land acquisition done, he said. More than SR700 million have been paid in compensation to land owners whose land was acquired. Parts of the demolished neighborhood for the expansion project were residential areas that really needed to go because they were one of the most unorganized neighborhoods in Makkah, the mayor said. Those areas are only 5-km away from the Haram and they were needed to get the utmost benefit of their strategic location in terms of housing services and transportation, he added. The current expansion and development project will eliminate all unorganized areas around the Holy Haram to give the area a fresh modern look that pleases Makkah visitors, he said. “A committee composed of representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Makkah Emirate, Makkah Mayorlaty, and real estate experts has been looking into all land acquired for the expansion project to guarantee fair compensation,” he said. Answering a delicate question regarding the rim of tall buildings surrounding and obstructing view of the Holy Haram, he said there have been two opinions on the issue: Either to be an open-space plaza to accommodate all pilgrims or a thriving economic hub as the land surrounding the Holy Haram is believed to be the most expensive in the world. “In the pre-Islamic period, Makah residents built their homes away from the Haram fearing that their homes would compete with the architecture of the Haram, which I don't think is the case now,” he said. “The Ka'ba holds its sacred place in the hearts of Muslims and nothing can be compared to it or even compete with it,” he argued. “Although the law allows building up to only 20 residential floors with a few extra floors for services like restaurants, shopping centers, and parking, the area around the Holy Haram remains very different requiring subsequent increase in the density of development as it serves millions of visitors,” he said. Responding to a question about the ramshackle and unorganized neighborhoods scattered all over the holy city, he said Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, has come forward with an exclusive plan to rectify the situation within ten years. The city is embarking on a package of urban development projects to place it in par with its status as the capital of the Muslim world and with the complex challenges implicated in its re-shaping. – Okaz __
