By Abdul Karim Al-Dhiyabi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

TAIF — Residents of this summer resort city are upset as a public park project, announced two years ago, still gathers dust in the bureaucratic files. Exasperated residents of this beautiful and historic city want to know exactly what went wrong and who is to blame for the faltering of the project, which they hoped, would act as a catalyst in boosting tourism in the region.

The municipality generated a hype when it presented the project's designs and blueprint in a massive media campaign on Dec. 24 last year. Strangely, it is now maintaining a stoic silence on the inordinate delay in the execution of the project.

The proposed Red Al-Naqaba public park on Al-Hada road would have given a much-needed fillip to the waning tourism sector in the city, but alas the project is yet to kick off even after two years.

A year after the announcement, the municipality organized a massive media campaign propagating the project but the residents said the campaign was a mere media blitz.

"The media campaign was just for local consumption. It did not mean anything with the project still not more than ink on paper," a resident said. He did not want to be identified.

Faisal Al-Harithy, a Taif resident, said any visitor to the site of the project will be astonished that instead of a public park, there are worn out tents that have become haven for astray dogs and a garbage dumping area.

Shakir Al-Otaibi, another resident, called for investigating the reasons which were delaying the execution of the project and said it was obvious that two years on and the scheme was not offered to any contractor.

Fahd Al-Jouaid said the municipality was more concerned with media and photography for ostentatious "show" purposes rather than implementing the project which was meant to boost tourism.

Talal Al-Rouqi said the municipality has abandoned a number of elements of the project including an ice hotel.

The public park was to be established on Al-Hada road linking Taif with Makkah on an area of 160,000 sq. meters. The park would have included a museum, a lake, a bird sanctuary and an exhibition for roses.