Awad Al-Dousi, Vice Chairman of the Valuation Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, revealed that the value of compensation for properties expropriated for the construction of the Haramain Railway, the Sports City, and flood control projects exceeded 20 billion riyals. Al-Dousi noted that the project is nearing completion and will be finished soon.

Regarding the launch of the public transportation project to connect the northern and southern parts of Jeddah, Al-Dousi explained that more than 5,000 properties will be expropriated, and the cost (1.4 billion riyals) has been approved without assessing the expropriation of properties and lands along the project’s route, which spans more than 70 km.

The Vice Chairman of the Valuation Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce praised the important decisions and projects ordered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, which have put an end to the volatility plaguing the real estate market, noting that among the projects that have seen significant progress are the imposition of fees on vacant land, the development of land grants, and the establishment of a mechanism for them, which has given low-income individuals and those without substantial funds significant opportunities to purchase real estate and acquire affordable housing units within their means.

Al-Dousi noted that the Ministry of Justice is working with relevant authorities on arrangements to resolve the issue of dual ownership of deeds between buyers and owners, as it has resulted in the loss of rights for hundreds of people and the loss of millions of land plots valued in the millions, which has harmed the economy, with courts currently hearing thousands of such cases.

He called for the establishment of a website to serve as a partner and information center for the Jeddah Municipality, overseen by a notary public, to ensure the absence of duplicate deeds and the loss of rights.