Kudai project damages homes

MAKKAH — A number of people living in Kudai neighborhood in Makkah have complained of damage caused to their homes by blast work carried out four times a day by a contractor in nearby mountains. The Makkah Municipality is in charge of the development projects in the Kudai mountains, and the Civil Defense confirmed that if real damage has occurred, then the contractor must be suspended and the affected will have to be compensated. Abdulaziz Faqih, a resident of the neighborhood, said since the demolition work in the mountains began, people live in fear and panic. He said he had previously complained to the Civil Defense and they stopped the work for almost a month. "The company began working fiercely, which made me approach the Civil Defense again, but we were surprised to hear this time that they had nothing to do with it," Faqih said. He said buildings in the Kudai mountains area are old and prone to collapse because of the dynamites, adding that some of the buildings had developed cracks. Faqih said that there were six explosions on Sunday, affecting more than 10 cars in the neighborhood. The company implementing the project photographed the cars and told the affected citizens to visit their revision office and compensated them that day. Any blast work at a mountain site or any project requires the presence of an expert and a representative of weapons and explosives from the public security authorities. The director general of media at Makkah Municipality, Osama Zaytuni, said that the municipality's role is limited to giving the license to the contractor, which is granted under the supervision of an engineering firm.