Citizens await distribution of residential land plots in Oman

Muscat: A number of citizens who have applied for residential land plots are yet to receive these and are patiently awaiting their turn.  

Out of 23, 000 land plots planned to be distributed during 2021 as per the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik, only 1,399 land plots have been distributed till the end of May 2021, said Ibrahim Al Maimani, data analyst.

He said that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has confirmed its commitment to dispersing the said land plots during 2021. He added that priority would be given to Omani families without their own houses or residential land plots.

He said pointed out that the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning had affirmed on April 17, 2021 that distribution of land plots would begin post-Ramadan, especially for Muscat applications of 2008.

The remaining 21,601 land plots are expected to be distributed within seven months, he added, pointing out that to cover the distribution of the remaining 21,601 land plots, 3,086 land plots have to be distributed every month, for seven months.

Speaking on distribution of plots in 2020, he said that 8,424 residential plots were distributed up to May 2020 in various governorates, that is 7,025 land plots more compared to these distributed during the same period in 2021.

He said that in 2020, the most number of residential plots were distributed in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate (2,180 plots), followed by North Al Sharqiyah (2,058 plots), and Al Dakhiliyah Governorate (1,820 plots).

In 2021, up to end of May, 326 residential land plots were distributed in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, followed by North Al Batinah (294 land plots) and Al Dakhiliyah Governorate (206 land plots), he said.

He added that 563 residential land plots were distributed in the other governorates during the same period in 2021.

Clarifying the delays caused in distribution, an official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning said that “the reason for the delay in distribution of land plots is that at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, we are awaiting issuance of the internal regulation of Royal Decree No. 42/2021 which would reveal the mechanism and priority for granting land plots.”