Notorious Makkah district to be demolished

More than 100,000 Burmese nationals living in Makkah’s Al-Nakasa district will be forced to vacate the area to make way for a mass redevelopment initiative.
Authorities intend to demolish more than 1,200 buildings and properties, which had been built without acquiring a license from Makkah’s municipality.
Earth-moving equipment has already been deployed at the site to remove the buildings as part of a massive project to redevelop random areas in the region at large.
Several residents in the district, located in a mountainous area, choose a random spot to live and then build their own makeshift homes using red bricks and other basic construction material without permission from government agencies concerened.
“This district is a Burmese stronghold,” Abu Talal, a Burmese resident who has lived in Makkah for over 20 years, told Arab News. “The Saudi government did not take action against these illegal buildings for a long time, but has since come up with new plans to redevelop the entire region,” he said.
The red buildings can be seen dotting the mountainous landscapes they juxtapose.
“This district is a high-crime area and an illegal expat stronghold,” he said.
Makkah’s development projects will cost an estimated SR300 billion in coming years, with a third of this money allocated to public transportation and to the King Abdullah Project, which is devoted to upgrading the city.
Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said that the government would also build 260 new residential districts in the city over the next 20 years.
Al-Bar said the city is currently working on implementing projects worth an estimated SR6 billion, including the fourth circular road, underpasses and overpasses, pavements, a lighting system, gardens, sports centers and other services for citizens and visitors.
Makkah is the Kingdom’s most attractive site for such projects. However, investment conditions need to be enhanced to help boost this sector, said several experts.
The mayor admitted that there have been delays in implementing the projects, but that authorities were looking into ways to resolve these issues.
The Al-Nakasa district is renowned for its poor-quality living conditions. Garbage can be seen piling up all over the area, while the area also has no sewage network.
The district’s low-income residents have, nevertheless, adapted to living in such squalid conditions.
Makkah’s municipality, meanwhile, had accused several citizens of using land without government permission, putting them in clear violation of regulations since they have no proof of ownership of these pieces of land.