3 min readNew DelhiMay 10, 2024 05:05 AM IST
First published on: May 9, 2024 at 11:21 PM IST
Saudi Arabia has authorised the use of lethal force to clear land for Neom, a $500 billion smart city project spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Colonel Rabih Alenezi, a former intelligence officer, has revealed to BBC. As per the report, he was instructed to remove villagers to make way for ‘The Line’, a component of the Neom project.
At least one person was fatally shot while protesting against eviction. Despite inquiries, both the Saudi government and Neom management have declined to comment.
The Line, designed as a car-free city stretching 200 meters wide and 170 kilometers long, aims to revolutionise urban living. However, the progress has been slow with only 2.4 kilometers anticipated to be completed by 2030, as per the BBC report. Official government data indicates that over 6,000 people have been relocated for the project, though human rights group ALQST estimates a higher figure.
Satellite images shared by the BBC indicates the demolition of three villages — al-Khuraybah, Sharma, and Gayal — to make way for Neom. These villages were inhabited by the Huwaitat tribe, labeled as “rebels” by government decree, as stated by Col Alenezi. “Neom is the centerpiece of Mohamed Bin Salman’s ideas. That’s why he was so brutal in dealing with the Huwaitat,” he remarked, now residing in the UK for safety reasons.
What is NEOM ?
While speaking at an event in Jeddah in 2022, showcasing the designs of ‘The Line’, the crown prince had said that Neom, a cosmopolitan centre, will be home to more than nine million people.
Said to be the “world’s first zero-gravity vertical city” having “zero cars, zero pollution and zero carbon emissions,” the ambitious megacity, spanning 26,500 square kilometers along the Aqaba Gulf and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline, is positioned to be 33 times larger than New York City.
The name Neom, derived from the Greek term “Neo” and Arabic word for “future,” underscores its futuristic aspirations. It is said that the city will be vertically stacked. Two buildings, the world’s largest structures, will reach up to 1,600 feet in height and run parallel for 75 miles or 120 km. Touted as an “architectural marvel,” when ready, Neom will “run in a straight line” from the mountains of Neom to the Red Sea.
In 2022, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the crown prince had commissioned the construction of ten palaces within Neom, each surpassing the size of a football field. Project plans reviewed by WSJ suggested that these residences could be priced at up to $400 million each, reflecting the opulence envisioned for the city.
The Line, designed as a car-free city stretching 200 meters wide and 170 kilometers long, aims to revolutionize urban living. (Photo: Facebook/@NEOM) 
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