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The Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and
Water Resources is making constant effort to protect khours
mangrove habitats and re-plant these areas with mangrove
trees to transform them into biodiversity and tourism sites.
A Mangrove Environmental Centre in Qurum in Muscat
governorate will be established in Qurum Natural Park with
the cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency.
the first experiment to replant mangrove was carried out in
1994 with the replanting of 1,250 saplings in Wilayat of
Barka. Additional 170,000 saplings have been planted in the
Batinah and Sharqiyah regions and Governorate of Dhofar in
2002 constituting 50 per cent of the total number of
mangrove trees in Oman. In addition, an expert has been
appointed in the year 2002 to make this exercise a success.
In the next five years, around 750,000 trees will be grown
in about 3 per cent of the total area of mangrove forests in
Oman or the equivalent of 30 hectares. the Mangrove
Environmental Centre would pool in all relevant economic,
environmental and social data to conduct scientific research
on qurum habitat and marine environment on a regular basis.
(OA/GEN/20-04)
Travelex Money Exchange at Seeb International Airport will
accept visa payments on behalf of the ROP Immigration
Services in most currencies or by credit card to issue visas
from April 1, 2004. The passengers can make their visa
payment at Travelex in immigration hall before moving on to
the ROP Immigration Desk. Computer system will generate an
automatic receipt for the customer to be presented to the
immigration officer at the immigration desk. This method
will reduce immigration queues and speed up the processing
time at the immigration points for the visitors.
(OA/GEN/19-04)
The Directorate General of Tourism and Shell Oman
are
launching ‘My Beautiful Oman’, a new initiative to promote
domestic tourism during the summer season traditionally a
period of low-key activity in Oman. The programme focuses on
highlighting the tourism potential to Omani and expatriate
residents, as well as tourists visiting oman. The
Directorate General of Tourism is compiling a ‘Short Break
Holiday Guide’ that will include information and special
promotions in summer season about the hotels, restaurants,
car rentals, tour operators, dive centres, and so on.
300,000 copies of the 16-page booklet, printed in English
and Arabic will be distributed using Shell Oman’s network of
40 Select Convenience Stores located around the country from
mid-May to mid-August.
(OA/GEN/13-04)
Royal Oman Police to introduce ambulance services
for
medical care for patients or injured during accidents. The
medical service can reach the patient within ten minutes to
offer first aid and transport them to hospitals. Five
doctors and 11 nurses have been trained at George Washington
University to specialize in medical emergency will be
available especially for this service. The ROP ambulance
service will cover all parts of Muscat governorate. Several
ambulance vehicle stations have been selected for a rapid
response. The ROP Ambulance vehicle can be requested by
calling emergency number 999.
(OA/GEN/3-04)
Oman Mobile Telecommunications Company
has set up a new GSM
exchange in Ibra in the Sharqiyah region. The new GSM
exchange would serve all towns and villages of the wilayats
in the north of Sharqiyah region such as Ibra, Mudhaibi,
Dima Wateen and Bidiya taking up the total capacity in
Sharqiyah to 300,000 lines. The added capacity will pave the
way for more value-added services such as GPRS, MMS and
others, which OMTC intends to offer in the coming months for
GSM Network. Earlier this year, 650,000 lines were added to
various exchanges in Muscat, Sharqiyah and Dakhiliah regions
as well as putting new booster stations in various towns and
villages throughout Oman.
(OA/GEN/3-04)
The government will build a multi-million Riyal dam across Wadi Dhayqah to supply water to Muscat Governorate by the
Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment & Water
Resources. Wadi Dhayqah links the Wilayat of Dima wa’Tayeen
in the Sharqiyah region with Quriyat in Muscat governorate
before reaching the sea at Daghmar. It is also one of the
largest perennial streams on the Arabian peninsula, with a
year round flow of water fed by catchment area consisting of
1,900 sq kms. The dam will be constructed near the village
Al Mazara in the Wilayat of Quriyat, some 60 km southeast of
Muscat. The dam will have a reservoir storage capacity of
100 million cubic meters. The proposed plant with a capacity
of 105 million litres per day will be equipped to eliminate
hardness, turbidity and metals as well as disinfect the
water from microorganisms. Around 10 million cubic metres of
water will be used by the existing users in Wadi Dhayqah,
5.7 million cubic metres to Quriyat and 19.3 million cubic
metres to Muscat.
(OA/GEN/23-03)
Oman & UAE Exchange Centre
has entered into a drawing
arrangement with Rupali Bank Limited, Bangladesh to enable
the company to issue drafts on the bank with effect from
March 10, 2004. Rupali Bank was constituted with the merger
of three erstwhile commercial banks — Muslim Commercial Bank
Ltd, Australasia Bank Ltd and Standard Bank Ltd in 1972 and
has a network of over 500 branches in Bangladesh and one
overseas branch in Karachi, Pakistan.
(OA/GEN/16-03)
Sultan Qaboos University to have a state-of-the-art Cultural
Centre with a multipurpose hall, a library, a research
centre and a royal reception hall as a gift from His
Majesty. The Centre will cost RO 11 million, next biggest
project after Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. The complex
will come up along the SQU clock tower towards the eastern
side of the campus built in an area of approximately 9,500
square metres. The multipurpose hall, consisting of six
levels, including a basement and mezzanine, will be fully
equipped with modern facilities to accommodate 5,000 people.
The library will be a seven-level building with a seating
capacity of 2,000, and will stock more than 600,000 books
and periodicals. The research centre for Omani studies will
come up within the complex consisting of four levels. The
royal reception hall will be a two-level building equipped
with all facilities. Construction of the complex will begin
immediately and is expected to be complete by March 2006.
(OA/GEN/9-03)
Omantel will introduce SMS Service for Hayyak users
through
a new card to allow to both local and international mobile
phones. The rate for the international SMS round-the-clock
is flat and fixed at 50 baizas per message. For local SMS,
it would charge 20 baizas during peak hours between 10am -
1pm and 8pm - 11pm & 10 baizas during off-peak hours between
1pm - 8pm or between 11pm - 10am.
(OA/GEN/8-03)
Muscat Health Month with the theme ‘First-aid For All’ will
be celebrated until 14th March. Health Month will include
first-aid training, stage shows on first aid for children
and other activities to create awareness and teach the
importance of first aid in people’s daily life.
(OA/GEN/21-02)
Omantel has announced significant tariff reductions on
Internet leased lines that offer speeds ranging from 64 Kbps
to STM-1 (155 Mbps). Corporate customers can now benefit
from tariff reductions of up to 53 per cent on leased lines
offering speeds of up to 2 Mbps with effect on 1st February
2004. Rates applicable to national leased line services of
less or more than 64 Kbps have been slashed by up to 60 per
cent. For international leased lines, the number of
tariff-based zones have been reduced from four to three. The
reduction in tariffs for Zone 1 (GCC countries) is 47 per
cent, 54 per cent for Zone 2 (Arab countries, India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Iran) and Zone 3 (all
other countries).
(OA/GEN/18-02)
The Central Bank of Oman is planning to introduce a real
time gross settlement (RTGS) system for speedy inter-bank
transactions as part of a larger plan to introduce
electronic funds transfer in Oman. RTGS is a core module for
introducing electronic funds transfer to settle dealings on
a continuous basis among different banks. Omantel will
provide a dedicated extranet virtual private network for the
proposed on-line electronic settlement system for banks
routed through the CBO. There will be an automated
clearinghouse for bulk processing of electronic credit and
debit and such transfers could include salary payments from
companies, regular remittances by individuals and settlement
with utility companies. The system would not only support
e-government initiatives but also enable banks to offer new
products and services. It will lead to a reduction in the
volume of cheques and the transactions are less risky as
they can take place simultaneously with a lower processing
cost. The central bank is looking at developing the point of
sales (POS) system in the country.
(OA/GEN/18-02)
Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic has launched an interactive website
www.badralsamaa.com to provide patients with information
about various departments and doctors. Doctors Online
section gives detailed reports and links to 18 doctors and
speciality departments. The polyclinic provides healthcare
facilities including a state-of-the-art operation theatre,
gynaecology department with observation room and child
warmer and 24 hours ambulance services. The website has
special sections devoted to cardiology, dentist,
ophthalmology, pathology, radiology, paediatrics, surgery,
gynaecology skincare and a special medical advisory section.
The health specialists will regularly advise on the latest
trends in the field of medicine and healthcare. Near Sultan
Qaboos Mosque, Ruwi, Tel: 799760, 799761, 799762, 799764,
Fax: 799765
(OA/GEN/17-02)
A new College of Technology in the Wilayat of Shinas
in Batinah region with capacity for 1,000 students annually and
a Languages Centre in Muscat Higher College of Technology
will be established at the total cost of RO 4.5 million. The
construction of the college will be completed in August 2005
and the languages centre by October 2004. The Ministry of
Manpower is also planning to open a higher college of
technology in the Wilayat of Ibri.
(OA/GEN/11-02)
Asian entertainment television bouquet ‘Pehla’ has launched
a monthly magazine titled ‘Pehla’ starting January 2004. The
magazine offers monthly programme highlights of soaps,
movies, music, news & sports of over 40 channels, gossip
corners from Bollywood and Lollywood, beauty and health
tips, exciting mix of recipes, quizzes, star interviews,
important network information, etc. For more information
contact in Muscat - Mustafa Sultan Enterprise 607277, Oman
Comp. Engineers 708000, Shanfari Partners Co. 791148,
Eurostar 7730550, Salalah - Shanfari Partners Co. 292480,
Sohar - Space Star Trading 844076, Web online
www.adduniverse.com, email: pehlasales@add.ae, pehlarenewal@add.ae,
Fax + 971 4 8061234
(OA/GEN/9-02)
The Sohar campus of Oman Medical College is likely to
commence its operations by launching the first year MD this
year. Construction at the campus is expected to be completed
by August. The campus building will have state-of-the-art
laboratories, library, multimedia lecture halls and IT
infrastructure. The campus will virtually be a wireless
campus, where students with laptops can access the
information from anywhere and at any time. The campus will
have wide-band connectivity with the West Virginia
University (WVU), the Bausher campus to facilitate
synchronised, and offline delivery of class lectures from
WUV. OMC’s Bausher campus has total 274 students. The
college has also started a new four-and-a-half year degree
programme in pharmacy, the first of its kind in Oman. The
government has increased the number of scholarships to 70
for medicine and 20 for pharmacy this year.
The first batch of students now in the third year premedical
and those who successfully complete the premedical
curriculum would automatically advance to the four-year MD
degree programme at Sohar. The college will also admit
additional highly qualified students directly to the MD
degree subject to availability of seats.
(OA/GEN/9-02)
Fahud Airport,
the first airport to be set up in the oil
concession area opens in the Wilayat of Ibri in Dhahirah
region, built at the cost of RO 1 million by the PDO.
Currently, the airport would be used by the ATR 42/500
aircraft operated by Oman Air on behalf of the PDO. The lit
runway could also receive Boeing 737 aircraft. It has a
2,400 metre-long runway. PDO plans to construct a similar
asphalted airport at Nimir or Marmul, the desert oil areas
to facilitate the company’s works and the movement of
citizens.
(OA/GEN/28-01)
The fees for new Identity Cards & Certificates issued by the
Civil Status Directorate-General has been fixed at RO 5.
Same fee (RO 5) will be charged for renewal of the card
while replacement for a lost card will cost RO 10. New birth
certificate will cost RO 2, a copy of the same will be
available for RO 1 and a replacement for a lost certificate
will cost RO 5. As for death certificate, there will be no
fee but RO 1 for either a copy or replacement.
(OA/GEN/26-01)
Majan College has launched a ‘one-stop shop’ for training,
consultancy and business support for improving & updating
the skills of private & government sector employees. The
Business Development Unit offers weekly short courses to
enhance the skills in business, management, English language
and Information Technology.
A quarterly calendar of the short courses can be e-mailed,
faxed or posted to any organisation on request. For more
information call Ali Al Mazroi/ Laila Al Khamisi on 751573
ext 112 / 164, visit us at www.majancollege.edu.om
(OA/GEN/21-01)
Minister of Commerce and Industry Maqbool bin Ali Sultan
inaugurated a new immigration and customs complex at Al
Wajaja border built at a cost of RO1.7 million to provide
better services to the citizens, residents and visitors. The
250,000-square-metre facility includes administration and
customs offices, passport and residence counters,
passengers' lounge and covered areas for customs checks and
clearance. Two similar complexes will be opened at the Wadi
Al Jizzi and Hafait border points shortly. Improving
facilities at Khatmat Milaha and Wadi Saa entry points is
also under consideration.
(OA/GEN/15-01)
As part of the government’s plan to privatise
Oman’s postal
services, the government is proposing a comprehensive postal
law to restructure and commercialise the country’s postal
sector. The Government plans to introduce commercialisation
followed by privatization and restructuring. The
unprecedented growth of e-mail has placed massive demands on
postal services the world over to cut costs and improve
efficiency and to remain competitive. Globally, electronic
mails constitute over 70 per cent of all mails sent
worldwide. The volume of e-mails in Oman has also started
exceeding the number of letters delivered by postal
services. Oman’s first post office was opened in Muscat in
1856. Until 1947, Indian postage stamps were in use. After
India’s independence, British stamps were issued when the
British post office was given the responsibility for postal
services in the region.
(OA/GEN/6-01)
Al Buraimi College affiliated to California State University
has been established in the Wilayat of Buraimi at a cost of
RO 500,000. The new college will award 2 / 3 year diploma
and Bachelor Degree in Information Technology, Management &
English language. The college will begin its preparatory
semester on 14th February 2004. The college currently has
six classrooms, two computers, Internet laboratories and one
English language laboratory. The classrooms will cater to
350 students. Female students will attend morning classes
while the male students will attend evening classes. By 18th
September 2004, ten more classrooms catering to 500 students
will be ready. the fee for an academic year will range from
RO 1,650 - 1,850. The college is open for applications for
admission from 17th January 2004. For more information
contact College Dean, Dr Fuad Jameel Al A’zawi.
(OA/GEN/6-01)
The new visit visa rules & regulations are as follows:
The nationals from European countries (Type 1) including
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Belarus,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Iceland,
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Monaco,
Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia,
Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine and The
Vatican can get a visit visa on reaching Oman border. The
nationals of Type 1 countries can enter Oman through Dubai
if their passport has no entry visa of Dubai and upon
filling an application form and getting it stamped from any
of the Sultanate’s entry points.
South American countries including Argentina, Brazil,
Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru,
Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela & Australia, Malaysia, Brunei
Darussalam, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, New
Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan,
Seychelles and Thailand can also apply for a visit visa on
reaching Oman border.
However, nationals from China, Russia and Ukraine can only
obtain visit visa if they come through a local tourism
company, hotel or family. When visiting in groups, the
number of females should not exceed the number of males in
each group. Countries such as Egypt, India, Iran, Jordan,
Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia can also get a visit visa
on arrival at the airport only if they travel with Oman Air/
Gulf Air and with a prepaid tourism package i.e., hotel
accommodation and ticket.
Citizens of Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei
Darussalam, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hong Kong, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Japan,
Luxembourg, Monaco, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal,
Switzerland, Sweden, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea,
Spain, USA, UK and The Vatican can also enter Oman with a
tourist visa for Qatar and vice versa. The validity of the
visit visa will expire if the holder travels out to a third
country.
(OA/GEN/4-01)
Artefacts dating back to Bronze Age have been unearthed
during an excavation in Wilayat of Bausher dating from the
2nd & 3rd millennia in a pre-historical cemetery. The finds
includes a saponite vessel, clay beads, shells and
arrowheads. Evidence also indicates the presence of graves
in Bausher, the oldest of which belonged to beehive tomb
type dating back to Lizg Period/Stone Age.
(OA/GEN/4-01)
Ministries, government bodies, public and private sector or
individuals will require an identity card or residence card
to employ Omani citizens or expatriates under the new civil
registration system. Omanis who are above 15 years of age
should apply for an identity card which is obligatory for
males and optional for females. Those Omanis who are below
15 can obtain an identity card subject to approval of their
guardians. However, all foreigners in Oman are required to
obtain a residence card. A civil register system will be
established for registration soon. Every individual will be
given a civil number on a card with his or her name,
nationality and address. Providing incorrect information or
presenting forged documents or certificates, forging a card
or certificate or illegal possession of a card can land them
in jail or a fine of RO500 or both.
(OA/GEN/28-12)
The Oman government in association with the Shipping and
Transport College Group of the Netherlands & private
investors are planning to set up an international maritime
college in Muscat. The main campus of the college will offer
4-year bachelors degree courses in various specialisations
in Muscat with branches in Sohar and Salalah. The college
will have 4 main specializations – deck officer (for ships),
marine engineer, port, shipping and transport manager and
operational technologist for petrochemicals industry. The
campus will accommodate 600 students, 400 regular and 200
part-time. STC Group is one of the largest maritime college
in Europe providing training for 4000 regular and 8000 part
time students every year. It also offers expertise to many
similar institutions in the world.
(OA/GEN/24-12)
Oman will start first toll-free hotline service for HIV/Aids
patients. Located at the Muscat governorate health services
centre in Ruwi near Al Falaj Hotel, is one of the two
centres established within the comprehensive HIV prevention
services pilot project in Oman. This pilot project sponsored
by Unicef in partnership with UNAids, WHO & the Dutch
Embassy will target adolescents between 15 and 25 in
secondary schools, youth and sports clubs and scouts camps,
and in remote areas in Muscat and Sur regions. The services
will function during afternoon/evening hours, and partly on
the weekends. The centre will be equipped with four jumping
lines and two operators/counselors, two confidential phone
booths. The counsellors will be trained by a specialist
counsellor for the first two months. There will be direct
access to a regional HIV website in Arabic with a bulletin
board chatting facility and linkages to other useful HIV
sites. Confidential counselling and testing services will be
provided through the centre. The testing service will be
attached to MoH facilities or referrals made through the
hotline and center to specialised clinics/labs/blood bank or
hospitals for testing. Counselling services on the other
hand will be provided onsite in the centre and/or cases get
referred to counsellors outside the centre within the health
system at large.
(OA/GEN/8-12)
Tariffs have been reduced
on a range of Postal services
including Express Mail Services, (EMS), postal parcels &
rentals of private mailboxes. Rentals on postal pouches have
also been cut from RO 35 to RO 25. 'Follow-Me' service has
been introduced to allow forward mail to the subscriber's
new postal address with Oman or abroad, if the subscriber is traveling overseas against a nominal fee. The reduced
tariffs will be applicable at all 94 post office and 430
postal agencies operating around oman.
(OA/GEN/31-08)
Travelling citizens and resident
will have to pay
border-crossing fees at all land entry points from April 1,
2003. It aimed at raising non-oil revenues and getting
citizens accustomed to bearing in part the costs of services
rendered by the government. RO2 will be collected for light
vehicles including taxis and minibuses, RO5 for buses and
light trucks and RO8 for heavy trucks (7 tons or more).
Citizens living near border points, who travel every day and
buses hired by the Ministry of Education to transport
students across the border, would be exempted from this tax.
Omani trucks transporting farming, livestock and fish
products for marketing outside the Sultanate will pay RO20
annually and trucks carrying products of stone crushers
operating near the border will pay a fee of RO100 annually.
The fee would be charged once and on departure at border
outlets in Al Wajajah, Khatmat Milaha, Hafit, Wadi Al Jizi
and Wadi Saa. A user friendly fee collection system will be
operated by automatic service machines. Until the integrated
collection system is installed, coded coupons will be used
for fee payment in the first three months. Travellers can
use a smart card available in denominations of two, five,
ten and forty Riyals to pay the fee at selected patrol
stations along Batinah and Dhahira roads and also at Sanad
shops in border outlets.
(OA/GEN/3-04)
Historical Association of Oman organizes field trips giving
close insight into Oman’s historic past and its beauty. For
more information about the expeditions contact Membership
Secretary Rosemary Hector on 563074 or Patricia Groves at patricia@cfbtoman.com
(OA/GEN/10-10)
The Waljat College of Applied Sciences
(WCAS) along with
Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Ranchi is introducing
new degree courses in biotechnology and business
administration for Omanis and expatriates. An entrance
examination will be conducted for admission of all the
engineering degree courses. WCAS is shifting its premises to
30-acre state-of-the-art campus in the Information
Technology Part in Rusayl.
Indian expatriates can acquire seats in WCAS easily since
only 10 per cent of the seats are allotted for NRIs in BIT,
Ranchi, India. Students who have completed the BIT Course in
Muscat Centre can travel to the US for higher studies
without appearing for TOFEL and GRE examinations. These two
qualifications are prerequisites for Indians who seek higher
studies in America. WCAS will arrange student visa for
Indian students whose parents are leaving Oman for good, or
alternatively student will be allowed a transfer to BIT
India paying for the education in Indian currency.
(OA/GEN/05-05)
Special Offer from Apollo Hospitals & Oman Air! Exclusive
Medical Privileges, 20% Discount on Health-check package,
Free pick-up and drop from airport for in-patients, Free
Executive check for Frequent fliers, Free air-tickets for
lucky winner and Apollo Health Passport! For more assistance
call Ms Saroja Rao, Apollo Hospitals, # 21 Greams Lane, Off
Greams Road, Chennai 600006, Tel: 91-44-8283187, Fax:
91-44-8291761, E-mail: ipschn@appollohospitals.com, Ms
Anjali Kapoor, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Sarita Vihar,
Mathura Road, New Delhi, Tel: 91-11-6825601, Fax:
91-11-6823629, E-mail: ipsdel@apollohospitals.com, Mr Radhey
Mohan, Apollo Hospitals, Jubliee Hills, Hyderabad 500033,
Tel: 91-40-3608850, Fax: 91-40-3608050, E-mail:
ipshyd@apollohospitals.com , Mr Khalfan bin Nasser Al
Wahibi, Managing Director, Medical Co-ordination & Treatment
Abroad Center, PO Box 346, PC 118, Muscat, Al Khuwair
Trading Center, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 687461, Fax: 687462,
E-mail: mccoman@hotmail.com
(OA/GEN/5-03)
A Poison Control Centre first of its kind in the entire Gulf
region is being set up by the Ministry of Health under the
purview of the Department of Environment Health and Malaria
Eradication, headquartered at Wattayah. It will initially
serve as an information service but later develop into an
Emergency Response Centre responding to incident of
poisoning and chemical hazards around the clock. The
services of this unit will include toxicological analysis,
toxicovigilance and prevention of poisoning, training and
research and contingency planning for chemical incidents and
disasters. The facility will be equipped with analytical and
toxicological lab facilities to analyse biological samples
qualitatively and quantitatively. The centre plans to
operate a 24-hour phone service offering information to
hospital staff and public seeking advice on poison risks. In
year 2000, a total of 2009 cases of poisoning and toxic
exposure requiring inpatient hospitalisation were reported
around Oman. The number of outpatient cases was estimated at
4-5 times of this figure.
(OA/GEN/5-02)
www.chamberoman.com, the new portal of the Oman Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (OCCI) will act as an interactive
forum for Oman's business community as well as a window for
the outside world to create greater awareness about local
and global opportunities for the business community in Oman
as well as help attract foreign investment into the country.
The five-year development contract related to the portal
will be outsourced to IMTAC and UMS, the Tawoos group of
companies.
The new portal will feature an online Trade Directory as
well as a comprehensive industry listing of all the business
houses in Oman. Various search parameters will include
company, product, location search, contact details and
nature of business. General section will contain updated
information on import and export, joint venture
opportunities, special trade offers and listing of local and
international business events plus all the chamber
publications will be available online. A site map
facilitating easy navigation, a glossary of business terms,
a guide on rules and regulations for conduct of business in
Oman, key economic indicators as well as Visa assistance and
information meant for business visitors.
The members companies enrolling for the portals will get
host of privileges and specialised services ranging from
online business queries, free subscription of Oman's leading
business magazine Oman Economic Review, listing of tenders,
trade delegations, all OCCI publications as well as a
special listing on the Chamber's Directory hosted online
with one free web-page and links to their own websites.
(OA/GEN/5-02)
According to Royal Decree no 91/2001 (Amendments to Traffic
Law no 28/93, Reckless Drivers will be punished in the event
of accidents causing major injuries to third parties,
serious property damage or third-party death. These
circumstances are (a) Driving in a rash manner without due
care or diligence, (b) driving in inebriated condition under
the influence of drugs or alcohol, (c) overtaking in
dangerous places where it is banned and (e) driving in a
manner that constitutes danger or that puts the lives of
persons or property at risk.
Severe punishments will be applicable if accidents lead to
(a) death of a person(s), (b) bodily injuries to third
parties that make them unable to attend to their work for a
period exceeding more than 10 days.
The Royal decree has also amended the renewal norms for
vehicle registration with effect from November 1. The
application for renewal of vehicle registration has to be
submitted to the ROP one month prior to the expiry of the
vehicle. ROP can impound the vehicles in the event of
failures to renew registration within three months from the
date of expiry. The delay can cause 20% fine of the
registration fee for the first 6 months, 40% for the second
6 months and 50% for period exceeding 1 year. The use of
opaque windows, reflective lights and devices creating alarm
on vehicles have also been banned.
(OA/GEN/05-10)
Non-Muslims permitted to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand
Mosque on specified hours and proper dress code that
preserves the sanctity of the mosque. Visiting hours are
from 8am - 11am from Saturday through Wednesday. No visit
ors will be allowed on Thursday and Friday. Men should wear
suitable clothes that are not short while women should wear
clothes that cover their bodies from head to toe. Children
under 10 not allowed to the prayer halls. GSMs should be
switched off before entering the prayer halls.
The Grand Mosque was inaugurated this year is the largest
mosque in Oman. The mosque has an affiliate Quranic School,
an institute for Islamic science and a library with 20,000
reference volumes covering a range of Islamic and human
sciences and culture and rare manuscripts. The Mosque covers
an area of 416,000 square metres and the complex is built
over an area of around 40,000 square metres. The three
entrances consist of three pedestrian passageways leading
into the grounds of the complex, each ending in its own
separate open area. Architectural interior combines various
features of traditional Islamic arts and crafts. All the
decorative architecture used in the designs of the walls,
ceiling and screens are based on Omani styles.
(OA/GEN/13/08)
Five historical sites in Oman's southern Dhofar region have
been granted heritage status by Unesco's World Heritage
Committee. These sites formed vital links in the ancient
frankincense trade route. These sites are Khor Rori, Shisr,
Ubar, Bilad and Wadi Daika. Four other historical sites in
Oman that enjoy world heritage status are Bahla fort, Bat
tombs, Wadi Al Ain and the Al Maha natural sanctuary.
Khor Rori or Sumharam finds mention as Moshca port in some
Greek texts originating in the 2nd century. Shisr and Ubar
were trading towns on the frankincense trail, which extended
from the southern Arabian Peninsula to the desert expanse of
Rub al Khali. Ubar, according to archaeologists lies to the
north of the governorate of Dhofar. The first century
Batlimos map referred to as an important Omani market. Al
Bilad according to researchers was inhabited during the late
5th millennium BC. Wadi Daika has a unique natural habitat
that nurtured frankincense trees. Don't miss them when you
visit Salalah next!
(OA/GEN/22-02)
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