The government has so far paid out SR10 billion for property expropriations to make way for Makkah’s expansion and development projects.

Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said Wednesday that the money was paid out to the owners of 13,000 properties in the holy city.

Al-Bar said the government expropriated 6,000 properties for the Grand Mosque expansion, 3,000 for the second ring road, and 4,000 for the King Abdulaziz Road project.

He said the Jabal Al-Sharashif project would cost SR15 billion and jointly implemented by public and private sector investors. The government’s share is SR3 billion. The project is 500 meters away from the Grand Mosque on 1.7 million square meters.

Meanwhile, an estimated SR85 billion has been set aside for the Makkah public transport and King Abdullah development projects, he was quoted as saying.

He said the city has started implementing a 186-km-long flood drainage network in the city’s eastern districts.