Ibrahim Badawood
Al-Madina
JEDDAH, one of the biggest cities located on the Red Sea, is unique due to its geographical location. It is a gateway to the holiest Muslim places in the world. It’s also considered the first station for pilgrims from all over the world visiting the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The total area of Jeddah is about 75,000 sq. km and construction zones in the city cover an area of around 64,000 sq. km.
Despite the multiple challenges the city has been facing for a long time, Jeddah still struggles to maintain its uniqueness as Bride of the Red Sea.
Development stages of the beaches are running smoothly despite a lot of pressure from some quarters. Bridges and tunnels are opening up day after day to ease congestion and facilitate traffic. Sewage and rain drainage systems are under construction and other work is underway on several developmental projects meant to provide citizens the required services.
At the heart of these works aimed at preserving the identity of the city, some land thieves are planning to seize large areas of Jeddah.
Recently, the municipality announced that it has aborted several theft attempts in many locations including the south of the city including an area that is 4.6 million sq. meter. Earlier, a newspaper reported stealing of plots of land meant for 500 parks 500 in Jeddah inside residential projects and a lawsuit has been filed in this regards.
A while ago, one of the newspapers noted that a committee designated to examine contracts at the notary office was offered contracts located in an area that exceeds 23 million sq. meters. After the committee reviewed the contracts, it was proved that this area belongs to the government and was confiscated. It is noticed that some of the encroachments were removed for more than once. It indicates that there is persistence in stealing and that thieves are not really afraid of anything.
If land thieves in Jeddah knew that they would be persecuted and sentenced to harsh punishments for their crimes while being defamed, they would have never dared to seize government lands. But those who know they won’t get punished behave badly and take over lands whether they were inside or outside planned areas.
