MUSCAT : The meeting took place in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Abdullah Al Batashi, Wali of Saham, and a number of officials from various sectors.
This meeting comes within the framework of the Governorate’s commitment to strengthening direct communication with the local community, listening to their opinions and suggestions, and involving them in development decision-making, thus contributing to supporting the local development process.
At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Wali of Saham welcomed the sheikhs and elders, expressing his thanks and appreciation to all who attended. He highlighted a number of vital development and service projects that have been and are being implemented in the Wilayat, as well as future projects.
He emphasised also that the outcomes of this meeting are a pivotal building block for development projects, and that all opinions and suggestions presented will be studied and evaluated by specialists.
Then, His Excellency Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al Kindi, Governor of North Al Batinah, began his remarks by explaining that these meetings are a translation of the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik who emphasizes in his speeches the necessity of effective communication with all segments of society to empower them in decision-making and to keep them informed about upcoming development plans and projects.
The meeting included a visual presentation by Engineer Mohammed bin Qasim Al Shizawi, Head of the Investment Development Department at the Planning and Investment Directorate of the North Al Batinah Governor’s Office. During the presentation, he reviewed the most prominent statistical data for the Wilayat of Saham, along with a number of development projects in various sectors. These included the Saham Agricultural City project and the Wadi Ahan Dam maintenance and development project, in addition to several educational projects, including the completed Al Rukabi School, two new schools under construction, and a third school still in the bid opening phase.
The presentation also touched on projects in the health sector, most notably the opening of the Kidney Center, which was built on an area of 800 square meters.
The presentation also reviewed several development projects being implemented by the North Al Batinah Municipality, including the Saham Corniche project, which is still in the engineering consultation phase and spans approximately 3 kilometers. Other projects include the Melody of the Sands Park, with a total cost of 424,333 OMR and covering an area of 18,000 square meters, and the Makhilif Park, currently under construction at an estimated cost of 474,249 OMR and covering an area of 15,000 square meters.
Regarding internal road development projects, engineering consultations have been completed for paving 16 kilometers of roads, at a total cost of RO 60,900. Designs have also been finalized and approved by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning for paving an additional 70.8 kilometers of roads, and the necessary permits are being obtained from the relevant authorities. The total estimated cost of these projects is approximately RO 6,042,810.
The meeting concluded with an open discussion with the sheikhs, elders, and dignitaries of the state, who stressed in their interventions the importance of such meetings in strengthening communication between government agencies and the local community, appreciating the efforts made by the governorate in implementing development projects.
They also put forward a number of community demands and proposals that would support the development process and improve the infrastructure in the state.
His Excellency the Governor promised that all proposals, opinions, and demands would be considered with attention, confirming that everything that was raised in the meeting was recorded.
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