Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — A sign indicating the site of a court complex was erected on a plot of land in Makkah more than 20 years ago and it has started decaying without the project seeing light The residents of the holy city were anxiously waiting for the project, announced by the Justice Ministry, to be implemented but nothing has happened so far. The residents are astonished why such a gigantic project would falter and remain just ink on paper all this time. They asked the ministry to execute the project so as to save the government a lot of money, which it spends on rent. The residents noted that all the courts in Makkah were housed in rented buildings, which are separated from each other by long distances. They said none of the court buildings had sufficient parking space. Saeed Al-Amri, a resident of Makkah, said all what was left of the project was a decaying sign board, which has been standing in its place for two decades. The project site is located between the districts of Al-Aziziyah and Al-Awali close to the maternity and children's hospital and Al-Hussainiyah public park. Al-Amri believes that the execution of the project will put and end to the suffering of the residents in reaching various courts in the city since they would be housed in the same complex. He said the government spent more than SR40 million every year on rent for the utilities of the ministry including the general, executive and personal affairs courts as well as the notaries public. Mohammed Al-Thibaiti recalled that the ministry had announced that it would build at the designated site four office towers that would house independent courthouses and offices of about 500 judges. The building complex was to have parking space to accommodate 3,000 cars, a conference hall and a mosque. "Unfortunately until this very moment there are no indications that the ministry will implement this project," he said.
