Jeddah: The SR100 billion ($26.6 billion) project of ‘Masar Makkah’ is 30 percent away from the completion of its infrastructure phase, CEO of Umm Alqura for Development and Construction (UAQ) told Asharq News.
The company has spent SR17 billion from the total SR23 billion allocated for this phase, with the partial opening of the project slated for 2023, Yasser Abu Ateeq, CEO of UAQ said.
Abu Ateeq revealed that the project is scheduled to be fully completed in 2030, the year Saudi Arabia plans to attract 31 million pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims.
Masar is a development project serving Makkah by incorporating multiple routes to the holy city for it's residents, visitors, and pilgrims. It also part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 - a transformative program of development to diversify the country's economic and social framework in particular away from the dependency on oil - which seeks to increase the number of Umrah pilgrims to 30 million by the year 2030 and improve the quality of life for Makkah residents and visitors.
Abu Ateeq added that the project's infrastructure will keep pace with the city's needs for the next 100 years.
The completion of the project required the removal of six slum areas, which was seen as an obstacle to linking the highway with the Great Mosque of Mecca. The compensation paid to the residents of 3,626 properties amounted to more than SR11 billion.
Dealing with the residents of slums took 5 years.
"We have a plan to reintegrate them into the project, whether by re-housing those who wish, or by prioritizing them for employment in the project facilities, as it will provide 16,000 job opportunities," he said.
UAQ signed agreements to construct 20 percent of the buildings, of which the first group of hotels will open in 2024 including Kempinski, Hilton and Taj brands, Asharq News reported.
