MADINAH: The well-being of migrant workers regardless of their nationality is at the heart of the Kingdom’s efforts, said Madinah Governor, Prince Faisal bin Salman during a recent visit to a number of newly built housing facilities for migrant workers.
Religion urges compassion
“Our religion urges us to treat all workers compassionately. And as such, we refuse to have workers exposed to any kind of physical or psychological harm that could affect their well-being,” the governor said.
“Migrant workers who come here seeking a better life for them and their families are our responsibility, and we shall do everything in our power to keep them safe until they return to their homelands,” reported the Arab News.
Positive image of KSA
“We aim for them to return with a positive image of Saudi Arabia, where they are considered as welcomed guests contributing to the development of the country and absolutely not as a burden,” he added.
“Madinah region had taken into account, a while ago, the urgency of dealing with the issue of workers housing in the short term, as well as finding fundamental and long-term solutions to accommodate a large number of workers associated with the ongoing projects,” said Prince Faisal.
“There are three pilot housing projects for workers in Madinah that will be completed within the next three months, which will eliminate 40 percent of the workers’ housing problems,” he added.
“Five new sites were also provided, in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, represented by the region’s municipality. The private sector and investors will help build the new houses within the next 18 months. The projects are all in line with the best international environmental and health practices”
Housing project
Madinah Governor was briefed about the pilot housing project in Al-Khalil, which is being constructed over a 39,000-square-meter area.
Along with medical clinics and public service buildings with specialized security monitoring systems, the project consists of 976 housing units that can accommodate 3,000 workers, a two-story mosque for 900 worshippers, in addition to state-of-the-art buildings that will be used as canteens, supermarkets and gyms.