JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal chaired the first meeting of the Makkah and Holy Sites Development Authority (MHSDA) at his office in Jeddah on Wednesday.
The new body has been formed following a royal decree replacing the old Development Authority for Makkah and Madinah and Holy Sites with two separate development authorities for the two holy cities.
The authority that will look after the development of Madinah will be headed by Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed while Prince Khaled will head the authority for the development of Makkah. The decision to bifurcate the old development body aims at spurring the development of the holy cities and ensuring smooth execution of projects.
Both the bodies will have the minister of finance and the minister of Haj as members in addition to the mayors of Makkah and Madinah who will be members in their respective bodies.
The meeting appointed Sami Barhamin as the secretary-general of the new authority for Makkah.
Prince Khaled told the meeting that an international firm was conducting studies on new development projects in Makkah.
He lauded the role of Prince Miteb, former minister of municipal and rural affairs, saying the credit for the development of Makkah goes to him. Prince Miteb was the chairman of the old authority that looked after the development of both the holy cities.
“The developments we now see in Makkah are the result of Prince Miteb’s efforts,” Prince Khaled said. “Both Makkah and Madinah should get their share of development,” he added.
The meeting also discussed the setting up of an executive committee for MHSDA. The issue of separating the financial allocations for MHSDA from that of the erstwhile development authority for the two holy cities also came under discussion.
Meanwhile, Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Barr told Arab News in an interview that there would be no postponement or delay in the implementation of development projects in the holy city. “All projects will be executed as planned. There will be no delay,” Al-Barr said.
The mayor added that a meeting of all parties related to the Al-Haramain Railway project linking Makkah and Madinah was held recently. The location for the railway station has also been decided. “It will be to the west of Makkah, south of the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway and to the east of the Ring Road,” he added.
Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry have signed a contract with a UK-based company for the management of the railway project.
“The Ministry of Transport is keen to complete all steps required for the implementation of the railway project,” said Al-Seraisry while signing the contract.
Makkah mayor said the Holy Sites Monorail project was also progressing as scheduled.
“Anyone who visits the holy sites can see the progress of work,” he said, adding that the works on the King Abdul Aziz Parallel Road had progressed considerably. The monorail project will help withdraw about 53,000 buses and other vehicles being used by pilgrims coming by land from within the Kingdom and neighboring GCC countries.
