Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said that municipal companies are development-oriented and are not concerned with seeking profits. “The companies have reduced the value of land in order to sell them to citizens at affordable prices, which is their main goal,” he said.

According to Al-Bar, Ideal Environment, a company for investment in cleanliness, will take a portion of the Makkah contracts within the next five years.

As for cleaners seeking additional jobs or begging at traffic signals to supplement income, Al-Bar said the low salaries of cleaners were in old contracts, and this matter will be taken care of in new contracts. “The goal is to have 20,000 workers to meet the high demand of labor during peak seasons.”

He stated that in the past pilgrimage seasons the company had 900 workers in Arafat, but it was surprisingly found on the seventh day of Haj that the number of workers declined to 138 as many went to work for muttawifs and other institutions at the camps.

About the property expropriation mechanism, Al-Bar said all government departments are committed to following the regulations of the expropriation system of any property for the public benefit. Departments should pay proper compensation to the owner of the property.

On the issue of the real estate market in Makkah, Al-Bar said Al-Balad Al-Amin Company has begun a project for building affordable housing, located away from the central area of ​​the holy city, as well as another project for housing of hotel workers. He said the project will help move laborers away from the neighborhoods in Makkah, especially as the city has the highest number of hotels and hotel workers in the Kingdom.

As for the development slums, Al-Bar said that a project has been started at the Al-Sharashif Mountain area, which is adjacent to the area of the Grand Mosque. According to the regulations for the development of slums, 30 percent of the project must be dedicated to resident housing and 70 percent for pilgrims and workers throughout the year.

“I think with the end of the expansion project of the Grand Mosque, real estate prices will return to normal,” said Al-Bar.

Regarding the municipality’s lack of focus on cleanliness of the holy sites during the pilgrimage season and overlooking the cleanliness of the neighborhoods of Makkah, Al-Bar said the cleanliness issue was not neglected, but rather faced difficulties due to high congestion levels. He said citizens’ complaints about pending grants have been transferred to the Ministry of Housing for review.