MAKKAH – Residents of Al-Mansour district of Makkah have expressed fears over two huge cranes that hover over their homes, posing a potential threat to their lives. Although the Civil Defense has instructed Ajyad Municipality to remove the cranes from the district no action has been taken so far to shift them to a safer place. Residents wanted the intervention of higher authorities to force the contracting company to remove the cranes, which were installed to construct a big shopping complex but the project was completed seven years ago. "They installed the two cranes about 11 years ago to build the market in front of the Red Crescent office in Al-Mansour district," said Zakariya Sulaiman Ibrahim, a resident. He said their repeated complaints to the Civil Defense had no impact. "It seems they would not make any move until a catastrophe takes place," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. He said the cranes' shafts and hoists have become a nesting place for birds. Idris Ibrahim said the cranes move over their houses during strong winds, creating fears in the minds of residents. "We'll be forced to run away from homes to avoid a catastrophe." The residents wondered why the authorities including the Civil Defense and the municipality were not taking any interest in removing the cranes to protect them from a potential danger. Abdul Wahid Mousa drew attention to another aspect of the issue. "One crane is hovering over a nursery school. "We want to know the reason for keeping the two cranes in the same place for this long, creating fears among residents," he added. He urged the Civil Defense to remove the two cranes as quickly as possible to avoid a fatal accident. Hashim Housawi said the residents had presented a complaint to the Civil Defense while the department instructed Ajyad Municipality on Feb. 8 to remove the cranes. Brig. Ahmed Al-Delaiwi, Civil Defense director in Makkah, said: "Our safety team visited the place and asked Ajyad Municipality to remove the cranes immediately." Okaz/Saudi Gazette did not receive any reply from Osama Zaitouni, public relations manager at the Makkah Municipality, after informing him about the residents' complaints.
