An estimated 23,000 Burmese residents had their residency status rectified recently, according to a Makkah official yesterday.

Undersecretary at the Makkah Governorate Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy said: “The Rectification Committee corrected the status of 8,103 families with 23,000 members out of a total of 242,000 applications received from different parts of the Kingdom. The committee also issued iqamas for 480 families.”

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said the assistance provided to the Burmese formed part of a larger project to upgrade poor and undeveloped areas in the city. The rest of the project will be carried out in five years.

“Efforts have to be made as a single team to overcome all obstacles that prevent the implementation of the project,” the prince said while presiding over the 13th meeting of the executive committee of the project to develop undeveloped neighborhoods in Makkah province, yesterday.

The prince instructed the committee to determine the time schedule and steps needed for the development of unplanned areas.

The meeting was also briefed on the Jeddah municipality’s project for developing the eastern area of the Jeddah governorate. It also discussed progress on the development work in Khozam and Ruwais districts.

At the meeting the Makkah municipality proposed that Al-Sherashif neighborhood should also be earmarked for development.