The security forces have restored order to Al-Awamiya, Qatif, particularly in the Al-Masoura neighborhood, a group of newspersons found out during a tour of the terror-hit city on Monday. The group toured the areas of Al-Masoura district where derelict houses once stood and have since been demolished to pave the way for a redeveloped model neighborhood covering the entire locality. Photographers captured images of the district showing the sheer magnitude of the massive construction activity to rebuild the neighborhood. Heavy security personnel and equipment were deployed, including police patrols and armored vehicles, creating a strong sense of security among the workers engaged in demolishing the remaining dilapidated houses. When completed in around two years, the area will see new shops, a retail mall, a public market, a cultural complex, a public library, a children's gymnasium, open air archeological areas, and other advanced facilities. The laborers working on the project have been frequently attacked by terrorists, drug dealers and gunrunners. They made every attempt to stop the demolition work so that they could use the old houses and narrow lanes as hiding places from which they could carry out their illicit activities. These attacks caused the death of a number of security men, besides material losses to the tune of around SR 18 million. The Al-Masoura neighborhood is home to about 8,000 families, all of whom were evacuated after their old homes were evaluated before the demolition work began. The governorate has paid SR 800 million in compensation for the razed properties, far more than they were actually worth. Work on the project will begin after demolishing all the 488 old houses.
