Al Raha village, facility building at KOM opened

Muscat: First phase of Al Raha village in Rusayl Industrial Estate and the facility building in Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) were inaugurated on Monday, under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, minister of commerce and industry.
This is in line with the Sultanate’s Industry Day celebration that falls on February 9 each year, Shumookh Investment and Services Company – the investment arm of Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), said.
Al Raha village is a township project comprising integrated residential, commercial and recreational facilities and other related services. The first phase that has been completed comprises 10 buildings which are currently home to around 4,000 workers. The total cost of the investment in the project is estimated at OMR54 million, while the cost of the first phase is estimated at OMR11.5 million.
Implemented by Masaken Al Raha, the township has been specifically designed to offer high living standards that are in line with international norms and the best welfare of resident workers. Al Raha village aims at meeting the needs of the operating companies in Rusayl Industrial Estate to offer housing services for their employees.
Whereas, the facility building in KOM facilitates the rapid growth of KOM and provides the community in KOM and the surrounding area with a one-stop shop solution. The facility building has been developed at an estimated cost of OMR5.5 million by Oasis Development, which is a subsidiary of Shumookh Investment and Services.
Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, chief executive officer of PEIE, emphasised that industrial estates require housing, hospitality and recreational services that cater to the needs and requirements of investors and workforce.
“PEIE has placed in its strategy the provision of these services in the industrial estates that fall under its umbrella. Similar to Al Raha village in Rusayl Industrial Estate, the next residential project will be in Sohar Industrial Estate in addition to another project similar to the facility building that was inaugurated on Monday in Knowledge Oasis Muscat," Al Hasani said.
“These service and residential projects come in line with the rapid growth of the industrial estates in recent times. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan, there will be more projects implemented to meet the economic development and support the industrial sector to diversify income sources,” he added.
Speaking at the event, Eng. Musallam Al Hudaifi, general manager of Shumookh Investment and Services, said that Shumookh Investment and Services is an initiative of the PEIE and Omani pension funds.
Al Hudaifi further highlighted the vision of Shumookh which lies in developing globally competitive industrial infrastructure in the industrial estates of PEIE and creating best environment for the growth of industries in the country.
"Al Raha Village is situated on a total land plot of about 56,000 square metres. With 25 buildings and a building area exceeding 108,000 square metres, the village offers housing for around 12,000 workforce,” Al Hudaifi said.
Facility building
"Shumookh Investment and Services is contributing with 40 per cent in the capital of Oasis Development Company. The total area of this project is around 16,000 square metres with a leasing space of around 10,000 square metres. The project aims at providing various facilities and services for the employees in Knowledge Oasis Muscat including banking services, travel agency, cafes, international restaurants, among other services,” Al Hudaifi said.
“The building also includes office space for government and private institutions, and telecom companies. The company is currently seeking to develop a similar building in Sohar Industrial Estate, which is currently in the designing stage," Al Hudaifi added.
He stressed that in order to attract investment, there is a need to focus on social aspects and build an integrated community that includes various facilities and services to cater the needs of the residents.
"Such services include housing, health care and education, shopping outlets, among others. These facilities shall support the expansion of the industry in the Sultanate. We are currently developing various projects which worth more than OMR100 million including the residential areas in Rusayl Industrial Estate, Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Nizwa Industrial Estate, Sohar Industrial Estate, Al Buraimi Industrial Estate and Sumail Industrial Estate. Shumookh has also invested in other projects including United Facilities Management, Shumookh Al Sharqiya Construction and Investment, among others," he added.