MUSCAT: All taxis in Oman will soon be required to have meters, according to Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications.
Speaking at a press conference in Muscat, he said: “According to the new regulations, all cars for hire in Oman will be required to have meters. This is not easy. It is, however, a goal of ours and God willing we will achieve it.”Al Futaisi also outlined the ministry’s ambitious plans for 2018, including 10 new Mwasalat routes within the Governorate of Muscat and a substantial increase in mineral exports from Oman. “One of our main goals for this year is to expand the export of minerals from Oman.”
We have gabbro and limestone in Suhar and gypsum in Salalah,” he said. We have already seen an increase in orders and at the very least expect the Sohar Port to export 15 million tonnes of gabbro per annum and also for the Port of Salalah to export 15 million tonnes of gypsum a year,” Al Futaisi added.
Oman’s volume of gypsum exports has risen 20 times in the last five years, with its largest importers being India, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh. According to the CEO of the Public Authority for Mining in 2017, the Sultanate had more than one billion metric tonnes reserves of gypsum.
