​New safety rules to protect Oman residents from falling rocks, landslides

Muscat: Cutting into mountains or digging roads will no longer be allowed between sunset and sunrise, the Muscat Municipality has announced.
On Fridays, construction work in mountain areas is no longer allowed until midday, and on Saturdays it can be carried out only after obtaining prior approval from the municipality, officials said. This comes after Municipality issued a decision on regulating the licensing of mountain cutting and excavation work on roads.
“Decision No. (212/2017) issued by the municipality says the construction company should take adequate precautions before any works to protect people from falling rocks and landslides,” it said on Monday. The municipality also said it is not allowed to cut into a mountain or carry out digging work on roads without first obtaining a licence from the municipality.
The first article of the decision defines the mechanism of obtaining licence from the municipality before starting work. The article also says that the mechanism of obtaining licence for drilling under asphalt roads, will be according to the location of the street and the nature of the soil and the service to be extended.
The second article states it is not permissible to cut a mountain or carry out digging work under roads except after obtaining a licence from the municipality in accordance with the provisions of the regulations in this decision. The third article of the decision mentions the necessary documents needed to obtain the licence in accordance with the regulation.
The fourth article specifies a 30-day time for taking a decision on the application from the date of its submission. The fifth article bans cutting mountains or digging under roads between sunset and sunrise and from Friday to midday on Saturday.
The sixth article obligates anyone who has a licence to cut the mountains or dig under the road to deposit an insurance amount prior to the commencement of the work to ensure its implementation according to the specified conditions, and the transfer of waste and cleanliness of the site according to a number of determinants mentioned in the decision.
If digging is not possible under the road, it is permitted to cut off the street after getting an approval from the municipality under the conditions of providing a two-year bank guarantee amount of minimum OMR2,000 depending the type and length of the cut, the seventh article stipulates.
The other condition is that the asphalt road shall be temporarily re-paved immediately after the extension of the line, provided that the final asphalt should be done within a week.