His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday directed the government to draw up a comprehensive master plan to develop the badia region and upgrade the quality of services offered for citizens in these areas.

The master plan will be prepared in coordination with the Hashemite Fund for the Development of the Badia.

At a meeting with representatives from Al Hajaya and Bani Atiyyeh tribes in Al Hassa and Al Qatraneh districts, King Abdullah gave orders for studying the issue of “tribal land allocations”.

The King also directed concerned authorities to better the essential services offered to residents in fields of health, education, municipalities and youth.

On the issue of the rises in fodder prices, the King said: "The prices of fodder are largely increasing in the world, which poses a big challenge to us, but the government is looking into a mechanism that would ease the impact of the price hike on livestock breeders."

Outlining their demands, local community leaders called for building a hospital or healthcare centres, especially since the area is located on an international highway where several road accidents occur.

On education, they briefed King Abdullah on the situation of the schools, calling for building new schools, supplementing existing ones with more classrooms and addressing the problem of rented schools in both Al Hassa and Al Qatraneh.

The residents also called for supporting the agricultural societies by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the private sector to enable them implement projects prone to create jobs and revive the agricultural sector.

Among their demands were also calls for renewing the water network, sewage system and upgrading infrastructure. They also said youth and women's centres were in need for assistance and support.