The Eastern Province municipality has withdrawn 22 projects worth SR50 million from contractors who failed to deliver them on time. The municipality demanded all contractors who failed to meet their obligations in other projects to quickly complete them according to the time schedule and the required standards specified in the contracts signed by the two sides.

Local media reported that some of the projects that received notices in this regard, include King Abdullah Urban Center in Dammam and other projects in different regions of the country. Fahd Al-Jubeir, Eastern Province mayor, said the secretariat is fully aware of its supervisory mission regarding the implementation of the projects.

"The delayed projects that have been recently withdrawn involved asphalting a number of roads and constructing pavements in Hafr Al-Batin, a project to develop some neighborhoods in Dhahran and improve the entrances of the city there, in addition to a project to establish parks, sidewalks and yards at Qulaib," the mayor said.

Other projects that have been withdrawn include building the headquarters of the municipality in Al-Rufaiaa, the construction of service offices in Shayheya, the completion of the Al-Sarrar municipality building, a facility for events and festivals in Lahabaa and the construction of a vegetable and meat market in Araira, among others.

The mayor said the contractors undertaking these projects did not comply with the time frame assigned to them. "The municipality was keen on giving the contractors a grace period to complete the projects and has issued warnings for them before it took the decision to withdraw the projects," the official said.

He warned the contractors who are falling behind schedule that sever penalties will be imposed on them and said that the municipality will intensify monitoring of projects by increasing the number of supervisors.