JEDDAH: Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh has been given a three-year extension as the chairman of the Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC) effective from Jan. 23.
“The renewal of the confidence of the higher authorities in me especially at this time is the highest honor for me. The extension is also a reply to some of the media comments that was directed at me personally,” Fakieh said on Friday in his first public statement after Jeddah was ravaged by floods on Nov. 25.
The mayor added that the extension also meant that he would have to double his efforts in serving Jeddah.
“This is an incentive to make greater efforts to serve the country in general and Jeddah in particular,” he said.
He said JDURC is one of the effective tools in implementing Jeddah’s strategic plan for the next 20 years, which the municipality formulated recently. Fakieh said JDURC succeeded in attracting a large number of bidders for the development of some areas in Jeddah.
The competition has also resulted in the inflow of an income exceeding SR500,000 for the exclusive right to develop two neighborhoods — Khuzam and Al-Ruwais. Agreements have been signed with two companies for the development of the areas.
“A contract was signed with Dar Al-Arkan Co. for the development of Khuzam and another with the Ruwais Property Development Consortium for the development of Ruwais,” he said.
JDURC was established with a royal decree in November 2006. The founding of the JDURC with an initial capital of SR215 million came in response to the demand made by the rapid expansion in economy and urbanization which Saudi Arabia as a whole and Jeddah in particular has been experiencing.
