Project for over 2000 houses launched

The project, located on a 465-hectare plot near the Meragang Sixth Form Centre, is being built under the new Kampung Tanah Jambu National Housing Scheme.

Housing Development Department Director Marzuke Hj Mohsin said that construction of the new houses is expected to be completed in 2012.

"This project, part of the Sultanate's 2007-2012 National Development Plan, is one of many projects under the housing development programme to produce more than 12,000 new housing units by 2012," he said during yesterday's ceremony.

Of the 2,136 housing units, 880 will be semi-detached and the remaining 1,256 houses will be terraced units. So far the department has allocated some 11,000 houses to deserving applicants.

"In accordance with the implementation of this housing area project, tenders have been open for Phase One since July 2009," Marzuke said. "The following two tenders, for Phase Two and Three, respectively, will be released by the end of October this year," added the director.

Marzuke also spoke of how the new housing project is relevant to the celebration of World Habitat Day 2009, this year celebrated on October 5. The day is celebrated each year on the first Monday in October.

Themed "Planning Our Urban Future" the celebration is held to increase awareness on the need to further improve city planning around the globe to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), urban settlements in both developed and developing countries are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability. "Unfortunately, current urban planning systems in many parts of the world are ill-equipped to deal with these major urban challenges of the 21st century and, to a large extent, have failed to acknowledge the need to meaningfully involve communities and other stakeholders in the planning of urban areas," says UN-Habitat website (www.unhabitat.org).

"This is why urban planning needs to be given a fresh focus starting on World Habitat Day 2009. After all, we know the problems, but we need to share the best solutions as efficiently and widely as possible by planning better and more sensitively for ourselves and our environment," they add. In addressing this global concern, the Development Minister said that global experts have agreed that the best way to overcome this was to ensure a more sustainable development of urban areas.

Marzuke added that the department was working on other initiatives to celebrate World Habitat 2009. "We will be organising the 2009 Habitex and Roadshow on October 26 to 31, while a 'bicyclethon' event is currently being planned on November 15," he said, adding that a walkathon and colouring competition are scheduled on December 20. Habitex is an exhibition organised by the department to showcase the latest products or technology in construction and engineering.