New purpose-built worker campus opens in Rusayl

Muscat: A new purpose-built campus that can accommodate up to 30,000 workers in Oman has been inaugurated in Rusayl Industrial City, in the presence of the country’s Minister of Housing, Dr Khalid bin Salem Al Mata’ani.

The BBH labour city has been built as part of the plan to provide good quality housing for workers, while simultaneously keeping them away from residential neighbourhoods, due to the social risks and inconvenience they might cause. It provides a suitable place for the workers to be close to their work sites.

The Minister of Housing expressed his delight at the development projects carried out by BBH Group as it took into consideration the needs of the community. He considered it a quality project that would help contribute to meet the requirements of life and suit the target segments.

“It will ensure calm in residential neighbourhoods on the one hand and on the other hand provide an alternative for employers to find housing for their workers near their workplaces,” said the Minister of Housing. “It will, of course, have a lot of results even in terms of productivity along with building of houses with different services and utilities and full autonomy.”

Adding to this, Dr Khalid bin Salim Al Matani, the Chairman of BBH said, “the group is inspired by the ideas of its projects from the community and crystallisation in accordance with the requirements of development in the Sultanate, and is continuing its plan to establish quality projects to meet the needs of the different segments.

“The importance of establishing the worker city lies in that it is the first project in Muscat to provide housing to workers away from residential neighbourhoods,” he said. “This is a demand imposed by the variables of life at the present time and meets the need of employers in creating such private housing for their workers, which raises the level of productivity and reduces the problems that may occur as a result of their stay in the residential neighborhoods.”

The worker city is located at a crossroads in the Rusayl Industrial Estate and has all the facilities and services needed by the workers. The establishment of this integrated worker city has many dimensions in light of the social risks caused by the presence of workers in residential neighbourhoods, and will feature all the facilities that are required for workers’ needs, such as banking services, money exchange services, restaurants, cafes, a mosque, entertainment facilities and a high-quality surveillance system in addition to the infrastructure of roads, parking and gates that take into account the ease of entry and exit and transport services to and from work sites.

These demands are looked for by employers as they save their effort to find accommodation for workers. It is located in the Rusayl Industrial Estate, with the Muscat Expressway on one side and the road between Burj Al Sahwa and Bidbid on the other. Built at a cost of OMR 19 million, it features 3,000 housing units and can accommodate between 25,000 and 30,000 workers. The first phase of housing has 170 units, and the average price of renting a unit ranges from OMR100 or OMR120 for a unit that can accommodate up to six people.

Several more projects have been planned by the company, including a hotel on the beach of Al-Ashkharah that contains about 100 chalets with distinct services of a three-star category, and a water park in Al Bustan.

Construction of a traditional 54,000-square-metre market in Seeb will start soon, with an investment cost of OMR 39 million. It will include 1,000 shops inspired by heritage and blending with modernity. The project also includes a traditional Omani-style hotel simulating the decorations of ancient Omani architecture, a multi-stage theatre, and picnic and other facilities that stimulate commercial activity in the area in a modern style, while providing parking for a thousand cars.