Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, says SR47 billion is being spent by the government to transform Jeddah into a top domestic and regional city. After chairing the Regional Council meeting on Sunday, Prince Khaled said 42 projects have been completed and 127 projects are currently under way. The Emir also discussed the issue of project delays with the council members. “You saw last year and this year many road projects that were implemented. There are some problems which need solutions such as cleaning and the vegetable market. As for the former, the Jeddah Mayoralty and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs are studying a new cleaning project. As for the latter, we'll develop it together with the fish market in future.” Jeddah is now undergoing a transformation that will make it a major city in the Kingdom and the region, Prince Khaled added. He said citizens should realize that a great deal of effort and money is going into the development projects. Responding to a question about the request of the Ministry of Education to get approval for 50 projects instead of 21, Prince Khaled said there are budget limitations and pressing priorities in other parts of the country. “I believe we give approval every year for a sufficient number of schools. If we compare the number of schools in Jeddah with other regions, we'll see a big difference in favor of Jeddah.” Responding to a question about the problem of rented schools which have been a constant source of worry for parents following the Bara'em Al-Watan fire, Prince Khaled said that school fire had nothing to do with the building itself but was caused by other well-known problems. Government will deal with this problem, he added. As for public transportation, Prince Khaled said the Ministry of Transport and Jeddah Mayoralty have completed a study in this regard which will be revealed soon. At the council meeting, Prince Khaled was briefed on project delays, including the sub-standard work of contractors and subcontractors and inadequate project budgets. The Emir was told that overpopulation was placing pressure on water and environmental services projects; and that there was a lack of basic health infrastructure in many parts of the city, particularly outside urban areas. To overcome these obstacles, Jeddah Governorate suggested that a committee be formed from concerned agencies to follow up on the implementation of projects. The Jeddah Mayoralty called for more money for more projects. __
