Some residents of Mount Khandama District gathered near the main power plant in Makkah in an attempt to deter electricity and municipality workers from disconnecting power from their houses under the pretext that the district was expropriated for one of the developmental projects. The residents say that though they do not oppose the developmental projects, they were not notified, their houses not valued, and that they have not been paid yet. They claim they have no place to go and that this action violates the government directive, which stipulates giving people their rights before expropriating their properties so residents are able to make arrangements for alternative residencies. One resident wondered, “Is it feasible to disconnect electricity from the homes of the helpless and needy citizens in this rising summer heat and final exams of children?” Another resident said, “We were surprised when workers of the electricity authority and the secretariat of the holy city were willing to disconnect electricity from the district, without prior notice. When asked for a reason, they said it was based on an order from the electricity company as this area has been expropriated, which is not true as we are in our homes and have not been notified of evacuation. Our houses were not evaluated and we are modest people with families. Besides, our children are having exams.” When asked about their property assessment, the residents claimed that they have legal deeds to their homes and no one had come to assess their property. One noted that according to the directives, houses should not be evacuated unless after giving the residents their rights in full with full agreement. Tariq Saleh Al-Malki said, “Whenever we ask someone from the committee on the development of the northern yards, they reply saying they have no idea.” Hassan Eid, chairman of the committee for the development of the northern yards, said, “These areas are expropriated for the expansion of courtyards of the Haram and the first ring road. The residents were notified last year that electricity will be disconnected on Muharram 15 and we are in Rajab now.” He added, “There are 263 properties that will be expropriated in the Mount Khandama District. The deeds for only 156 properties have been received. We are waiting for the remaining ones. Anyone who wants to know the property assessment or anything in this regard must contact the committee for the development of the Haram courtyards.”
