"The council carried out an in-depth study of the problem of encroachment on lands belonging to the government," Shoura Council Secretary General Muhammed Al-Ghamdi told reporters afterward.
He recalled that the council appointed a special committee to study the draft regulation, containing 12 articles, to prevent such encroachment on public lands. The committee headed by Abdullah Al-Hudaithi submitted its recommendations Sunday.
The draft regulation set out the guidelines to monitor the status of government lands in all parts of the Kingdom and also outlined measures to prevent illegal occupation of such lands.
Salient features of the draft included the formation of a central committee in each governorate headed by its respective governor, who will work out a mechanism to investigate any possible infringement on government lands in his territory and take suitable action accordingly.
The committee will appoint sub-committees in various districts in the governorate to ensure that government lands do not end up in the hands of unscrupulous dealers.
Members of the sub-committee have to protect lands that come under their jurisdiction and take preventive measures against any encroachments.
The debate on this issue was postponed for a later date since members spoke for and against some of the articles of the draft regulation.
It was argued that some people have lived on government lands for a long time. The properties were passed on from one generation to another and more sensitive action needs to be taken to remove them from their ancestral lands, members argued.
Prior to the beginning of the session, Al-Asheikh held talks with Chairman of the Advisors Council in Morocco Mohammed Al-Sheikh Baidallah.
The meeting tackled ways of improving bilateral relations, particularly on a parliamentary level.
In a press statement following the meeting, Baidallah commended relations between Morocco and Saudi Arabia, noting that his meeting in Riyadh on Saturday with Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, reflected the strong fraternal relations between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Morocco's King Mohammed VI.
Meanwhile, a Shoura Council delegation headed by Tarek Ali Al-Fadlak held talks with Noel A. Kinsella, speaker of the Canadian Senate in Ottawa on Sunday.
During the discussions, Kinsella commended the efforts of the Saudi leadership in promoting dialogue among nations, civilizations and religions.
He also conveyed his good wishes on behalf of his government for the speedy recovery of King Abdullah, who was recently treated in the US.
The Canadian speaker also pointed out that more than a million people in Canada speak Arabic and also expressed his interest to visit the Shoura Council to understand its function in the Kingdom.
