Muscat -The Council of Ministers approved RO26.4mn for a housing assistance programme to be implemented in North and South Sharqiyah last week.

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MHUP), a total of 403 families will benefit from the approved housing aid allocated for the region so as to reduce application backlog and expedite the implementation of housing schemes for eligible families.

Part of the allocated funds, as explained by an MHUP official, will be provided to 255 families affected by adverse weather conditions in the wilayat of Sur, South Sharqiyah. These families will be relocated to safe areas and compensated financially, along with a residential plot to construct a new house with necessary infrastructure and public services.

The remaining portion of the allocated amount will be used for the construction of 148 housing units in remote villages across North and South Sharqiyah. This includes 11 units in Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan, 19 units in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, and 54 units in Sur. 

Nineteen more units will be constructed in Wadi Bani Khalid and 45 units in Quriyat.

The ministry is currently constructing 111 housing units at a cost exceeding RO4.6mn. They will be handed over to beneficiaries before the end of the current year, the ministry official confirmed.

Out of these 111 units, 49 are in Hail al Kafof and 24 in Hail al Qish in Dima Wa Taaiin, North Sharqiyah, 26 units in Sarj village in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, South Sharqiyah, and 12 in Wadi al Sail in Mahout, Al Wusta governorate.

According to the official, the ministry received 67,570 applications, out of which 24,913 met the required conditions. 

“The programme has been planned to allow beneficiaries to remain engaged in their traditional occupations, and help them stay in their close social network, without having any need for relocation for want of housing,” the official explained.

Providing an overview of the previous housing projects, the official stated that 287 housing units were delivered to beneficiaries between 2020 and 2022, with a total invested amount exceeding RO10.1mn.

This includes 256 units in al Mazyuna, Dhofar, 20 units in Adam, Dakhiliyah, eight units along with a mosque and a public council in Quriyat, Muscat.