Saeed Al-Suraihi

Okaz

 

Many government officials say that the Kingdom is not very big and that is why many projects are not being implemented.



They say that we could solve the problem of our schools being on land that is leased and build school from scratch.



However, they add that there is not enough land available to do this. There are projects to build hospitals and primary healthcare centers that are on hold for flimsy reasons.



Every time officials are asked about the reason why these projects have not been implemented, they keep giving the same excuses: “We are looking for suitable land to build on.”



The same holds true for land grants. Many Saudis who want to build homes are unable to do so because municipalities will not give them land.



Land that is available, however, is located in remote areas without any connecting utility services. Granting land in a remote area and asking citizens to then find a way to build a house there is unpractical.



I believe the reason why the Ministry of Housing’s projects have not been implemented is because of the ministry’s inability to provide land to citizens.



I wonder how something like this could happen in a country such as the Kingdom that is so vast and around 2 million square kilometers in size.



What if our country was as small as Malta which is half the size of Jeddah?