500,000 applicants for land plots

By Zainab Al Nasseri — MUSCAT: May 24 - About half a million applications for land have been received so far by the Ministry of Housing, which is working overtime to speed up distribution of the same. This was revealed by Shaikh Saif bin Mohammed al Shabibi, Minister of Housing, during the 17th regular session of the second annual sitting of Majlis Ash’shura held under the chairmanship of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of the Majlis on Wednesday. Al Shabibi said the ministry had received about 500,000 applications for different purposes from 2008 until now. His statement covered various aspects, including the preparation of layouts and land plots for various uses, distribution methodology, issues related to housing loans, besides social housing. He said plots have been distributed as per seniority, and in case of complaints, necessary procedures have been followed. Al Shabibi highlighted difficulties and challenges facing the ministry in executing its housing and urban plans, providing general inputs for residential layouts which include topography of the Sultanate, such as mountains and valleys in some governorates and wilayats. He said the government is in collaboration with the private sector in executing various projects, including social housing projects in Barka. Some small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have launched an initiative to build residential units and grant loans for the needy families, he added. The ministry has joined hands with consultants specialising in modern planning for building comprehensive residential zones. Experts have been providing consultancy for projects in Batinah North and South, which are expected to be finalised by this year-end, the minister said. “The number of plots planned during 2012-16 was 27,3918. Agricultural lands stood at 568, including 201 plots given to Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and 52 plots for SMEs in Al Musannah. Besides, 1,045 agreements were signed for public usufruct,” said Al Shabibi. He said a total of 682,662 applications were received for residential use from December 2008 until the end of 2016, of which 277,030 requests have been fulfilled. “We believe in equality and justice in land distribution. Therefore, the process is conducted through a draw and names announced on social media, newspapers and the ministry’s website,” he said. On reasons for the delay in land distribution in some places, he said the country’s geography was one of the challenges making planning difficult in some areas. He, however, said the ministry had managed to offer plots in wilayats of limited zones as per the regulatory laws. The absence of basic services such as roads, electricity and water has also delayed many residential projects. “Yet, we have made exceptions for some eligible categories as per financial allocations,” he explained. On projects that could not be implemented in the Eighth Five-Year Plan (2011-15), Al Shabibi said the construction of 1,829 residential units at a cost of RO 67 million was stopped because of non-availability of contractors.