Mayoralty urged to end illegal activities at Makkah entrances

MAKKAH – Disorganized sales of sheep and camel milk and illegal auction sites at the entrances of Makkah have tarnished the image of the holy city and a number of citizens have urged authorities to end such practices as quickly as possible. “It’s unfortunate that the Makkah mayoralty is just watching these illegal activities without taking any preventive action,” said Adnan Mohammed Ali, adding that such practices have been on the increase due to the negligence of monitoring authorities. Branch municipalities have played a big role in stopping the phenomenon in the past but lack of field inspections by authorities has brought back these negative practices once again. Al-Madina Arabic daily visited one of the illegal centers used by street vendors at the entrance of Wali Al-Ahd Residential Plan along Old Jeddah-Makkah Road. Citizens told the newspaper that it all started after some people encroached upon government lands. “We have noticed considerable decline in this practice during the past five years, especially at the entrance of Makkah through the coastal road. But it’s still rampant on the Old Jeddah Road. Some people have occupied public lands and turned them into rest houses,” Ali told the daily. He urged the mayoralty to remove these resthouses as well as tents established by some youths along the Old Jeddah Road, adding that it could be misused for illegal activities. He said the sheep enclosures near the Wali Al-Ahd Residential Plan were polluting the atmosphere. Abdullah Saeed Al-Asmari called for quick removal of illegal sheep trade and auctions at the entrances of Makkah, saying it does not cope with the city’s prestige and grandeur. “The mayoralty spends millions of riyals every year to enhance Makkah’s beauty and appearance. At the same time it closes its eyes toward such illegal activities that tarnish the city’s image,” he added. Al-Asmari said disorganized activities can be found at the southern entrance of Makkah, Old Jeddah Road and Sharaie Road and criticized the mayoralty for not stopping such illegal practices. Awad Al-Shahri also stressed the need to focus on entrances of Makkah by the mayoralty to impress visitors and foreign pilgrims. “We hope the mayor would appoint a special team to remove these illegal practices and trading activities at the entrances of Makkah immediately,” he told Al-Madina. Mamdouh Bin Mohammed Al-Eraqi, chairman of Shouqiya Municipality, emphasized his organization’s readiness to remove such illegal practices. “We’ll take measures to stop any activity that tarnishes Makkah’s image,” Al-Eraqi said while speaking to the Arabic daily. His municipality is in charge of the southern entrance of Makkah.