Newspaper cutting

The newspaper cuttings below are extracted from the Gulf Times news in Qatar. The news are categorized into :

SECTION 1 : Material Shortages & Costs etc

SECTION 2 : Traffic Rules

SECTION 3 : Ashghal Organization

SECTION 4 : Salwa Road News

SECTION 1 : Material Shortages & Costs etc

Ashghal in fresh agreements to stabilise construction costs

latest Update: Tuesday27/5/2008May, 2008

By Arvind Nair

Ashghal CEO Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin shaking hands with National Transport Office managing director Ali Hasan al-Mohannadi after signing the agreement

THE Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday signed two new deals in an effort to rein in the galloping prices of construction materials.

A memorandum of understanding(MoU) was signed with Qatar Steel on maintaining the price of steel. And an agreement was signed with the National Transport Office, dealing with the cost of ferrying sand and other construction materials to Ashghal project sites.

Ashghal CEO Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin signed the agreements with Qatar Steel director and general manager Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Thani and with Ali Hasan al-Mohannadi, the managing director of the transport company.

Rising prices and shortage of materials have been a major concern for contractors and construction companies in the state.. This has resulted in contracting companies incurring losses while executing projects.

Consequently, major companies have been holding themselves back from bidding for Ashghal projects. A recent job had to be tendered three times because of a lack of enough bidders.

The “illogical increase in prices of raw materials brings additional burden on the state”, al-Khayarin said yesterday. Hence Ashghal had decided to sign MoUs with local companies, he added.

He called on companies to support Ashghal’s efforts to stabilise prices at levels quoted in the contracts.

If circumstances compelled the companies to increase prices of raw materials, they should, under the agreement, still provide materials at the previously agreed prices. “The difference in the price shall be paid as agreed through negotiations,” he said.

In March, Ashghal signed similar MoUs with four national companies - Woqod, Qatar National Cement Company, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and Qatar Quarries and Building Materials Company. It has also signed agreements with National Leasing Company for transporting sand and related raw materials to Ashghal project sites.

Ashghal takes steps to maintain raw material prices, availability

Latest Update: Wednesday9/4/2008April, 2008

Ashghal CEO presenting a memento to the Japanese minister

Staff Reporter

THE Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has signed Memorandums of Understanding with major raw material suppliers on maintaining prices and availability.

This assurance was given by Ashghal board member and CEO Zayed Mansour al-Khayarin to Japanese Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Makoto Taketoshi when the latter expressed concerns about the rising price of construction materials.

Those raw materials which are “unavailable in the state could be imported from abroad”, al-Khayarin pointed out.

The Japanese minister was accompanied by a delegation when he called on the Ashghal official yesterday. The meeting was also attended by Ahmad Sultan al-Kuwari, chief operations officer (COO) of Ashghal, Mohamed Ali Darwish, director of assets affairs & senior adviser to the CEO, and Khalifa Hashim al-Sada, head of external relations at Ashghal Public Relations Department.

Al-Khayarin stressed the deep relations between the two countries, especially in the economic field, which enabled the entry of Japanese private sector in infrastructure projects implemented by Ashghal. He welcomed the willingness of Japanese companies to participate in Ashghal infrastructure projects and their keenness to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Qatar.

“Participation of Japanese companies in Ashghal tenders will undoubtedly contribute to expand competition among international companies that are already engaged with Ashghal projects”, the official said.

Both sides reviewed bilateral issues and discussed possible solutions to problems that might hamper the work of Japanese companies.

The two sides also reviewed the most prominent projects in Ashghal’s five-year plan and the investment opportunities for international firms. They also dealt with the financial and other incentives provided by the authority for contractors.

The two delegations also reviewed construction technology and modern techniques explored by the Japanese firms participating in the current Project Qatar exhibition, which ends tomorrow.

Ashghal markets projects inside and outside the state, and engages international contracting companies for the implementation of major projects. Within a short time, it has attracted a large number of international companies, particularly from Europe and Asia, who submitted their bids for projects in Qatar, tendered by Ashghal.

Firms take steps to address building materials shortage

Latest Update: Tuesday18/3/2008March, 2008

By Pratap John

ACTING on a government directive, the Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC), the Qatari Company for Raw Materials and Woqod, among others, have taken steps to solve the building material shortage in the state.

QNCC will boost its cement production by commissioning two mills within three months. The two mills at Umm Bab will have a combined capacity of 5,500tonnes of cement per day.

The capacity boost will take QNCC’s annual cement production to 4.7mn tonnes per year by 2009.

Last year, the construction sector was badly hit due to the chronic shortage of cement which forced many contractors to import the material at higher costs and slow-pedal on new work bids.

The shortage also resulted in the cement price shooting up considerably, mainly in the local retail market.

Another initiative by QNCC to meet the building material shortage is the commissioning of the second sand plant in Qatar in tie-up with an Irish firm.

The QR84mn sand plant with a 20,000tpd (tonnes per day) capacity is expected to be completed this year. The new plant will help QNCC scale up sand production to 40,000tpd or 15mn tonnes per year.

Industry sources yesterday said the construction sector mostly required two types of sand – plaster and washed. Plaster sand is used for plastering while washed sand goes into concrete work.

Sources said the establishment of a dedicated firm to supply raw materials had eased shortage to a considerable extent.

The Qatari Company for Raw Materials was set up last year to meet the huge demand of the building industry, mainly driven by Qatar’s economic boom.

Aggregate rocks are another scarce item in Qatar because of the ban on quarrying. Aggregate is used for mixing with a cementing material to form concrete, mortar or plaster.

But with a new import facility being set up at Mesaieed exclusively to handle raw materials including aggregate rocks and cement, the situation is likely to improve in the coming months.

Woqod (Qatar Fuel) has already taken steps to ease bitumen shortage in Qatar. Bitumen’s primary use is as a constituent of products used in paving and roofing applications.

With a view to stabilising prices of raw materials for projects being undertaken by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), the company recently signed deals with QNCC, Woqod, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and the Qatar Quarries and Building Materials Company.

The deal aims to stabilise prices of raw materials which are quoted in the original contracts.

The Minister of Finance, Economy and Commerce, HE Yousef Hussein Kamal recently said the shortage of building materials and their rising prices were also driving inflation in Qatar.

The minister said the government would ensure raw materials availability as it tackled inflation which rose to 13.74% in December, its second fastest pace on record.

Ashghal move to stabilise raw material prices

Latest Update: Thursday13/3/2008March, 2008

Al-Khayarin (fourth left), flanked by the other signatories, speaking at the ceremony yesterday

Staff Reporter

WITH a view to stabilising the prices of raw materials for projects undertaken by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), memorandums of understanding (MoU) were signed yesterday with four national companies.

They are Woqud, Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC), Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company (QIMC), and Qatar Quarries and Building Materials Company (QQBMC).

Ashghal CEO and board member Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin signed the MoUs with Nasser Ibrahim Fakhroo (Woqud), Mohamed Ali Sulaiti (QNCC), Abdulrahman al-Ansari (QIMC), and Bassam Rafeeq (QQBMC).

“The MoUs come in the wake of a recommendation by Ashghal’s board of directors to develop a mechanism to reduce the risk on contractors due to non-availability or high prices of raw materials,” al-Khayarin said.

It was pointed out that such risks had caused financial loss to the contractors, threatening the continuation of their work on Ashghal’s projects.

The illogical increase in prices of raw materials also burdens the state as the costs of projects go up.

“The new mechanism is aimed at stabilising the prices of raw materials as quoted while signing the agreements,” the official said.

If there is any circumstance during the contract period that compels the companies to increase the prices of raw materials, they should settle the difference in prices through negotiation later while continuing the supply at the earlier agreed prices.

“We call upon all companies to participate in the development of the new mechanism and provide us with the raw materials price index every month, for adoption in the tenders,” the official added..

Shortage of raw materials delaying projects: Ashghal

Latest Update: Sunday29/7/2007July, 2007,

Shortage of raw-materials is a major cause of delay in road projects

Staff Reporter

A SENIOR official of Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has acknowledged delays in road projects and said it was because of “uncontrollable reasons”. Jamal Shareeda al-Kaabi, manager of road projects department, however, added that though the “reasons and circumstances” were beyond its control, “we do not absolve ourselves of our responsibility ... and we do our best to co-ordinate with all service departments for the convenience of the public.”

“One reason that has contributed to the delay in the implementation of road projects is the acute shortage of raw materials and the sudden rise in their prices”, he said, adding that the delay in project implementation was not limited to Ashghal, but to many other state institutions.

However, the public alwayss blamed Ashghal because it has been involved in a lot of construction works, he said. “There is not a single house in Qatar without a connection with Ashghal projects”.

He explained that in making a road, it was not just preparing the ground and putting layers of asphalt and footpaths. These works did not require a long time. Some 50% to 70% of works were related to infrastructure.

The problem was also in the re-establishment of infrastructure services like electricity lines, water pipes, telephone lines, sewer systems, ground water and surface water, in addition to some security services.

He requested the public to bear with some inconveniences for the sake of future

generations.

Al-Kaabi pointed out that there were many mega projects to be implemented by Ashghal, but lack of contractors and paucity of raw materials held up their take-off.

The manager said Ashghal wasn't sitting idle and waiting for the problems to be solved by themselves. It had sought to address the issues and work out solutions. “For example, we have begun working on several projects in a single package so that we can attract international companies. These companies are not willing to work in projects that cost less than QR100mn or QR200mn”..

Al-Kaabi conceded that what was being implemented today could have been done years ago, but people should not blame Ashghal for the non-implementation of the projects, which was set up just two years ago.

He said the issue now was not why these projects were not implemented before, or why they were being carried now. “The issue is that the state is in an accelerated growth mode and needs rapid development in the infrastructure sector and that Public Works Authority has been established to achieve this goal”.

He said the media sometimes linked public complaints related to other establishments to Ashghal, and this misled the people. “The public believes that all excavations are by Ashghal, whereas other bodies such as Kahramaa and Qtel also have similar projects.

“Besides, during rainfall, cracks occur on the streets, especially in residential areas. Although the responsibility of maintenance of these streets is with the municipalities, everyone blames Ashghal for the disrepair”.

New firm set up to tackle construction sector crisis

Latest Update: Thursday3/5/2007May, 2007

Al-Khayarin … shortage to end soon

Staff Reporter

THE government has formed a new company - Qatari Company for Raw Materials - exclusively to handle the shortage of building and construction raw materials, a top Public Works Authority (Ashghal) official said yesterday.

Managing director of Ashghal, Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin, said that with the formation of the new company the current shortage of construction raw materials would be solved “by summer”.

He said a new harbour was being built at Mesaieed exclusively to handle import of such raw materials as cement and gabbro.

Another material in short supply, bitumen, would be imported by Woqod (Qatar Fuel), Khayarin said.

Similarly, a new sand plant is to be opened soon. “With all these, the shortage of raw materials should be solved by June”, the official said.

Asked why no provision was not made to make enough raw materials available before Ashghal embarked upon its multi-billion riyal infrastructure works, Khayarin said he was misinformed.

Ashghal had asked all departments, companies and other stakeholders about the availability of raw materials before announcing the five-year plan, and they all assured the authority that there would be no shortage of raw materials, he said.

After June, he hoped, shortage of raw materials would not hamper progress of any works.

Cement shortage may end by July

Latest Update: Tuesday23/1/2007January, 2007,

Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari

Staff Reporter

The shortage of cement and sand in the country is expected to be over by July this year, a senior Ashghal official said yesterday.

Answering a question raised at MEED’s Major Non-Energy Projects in Qatar conference yesterday, assistant managing director for technical affairs of Public Works Authority (Ashghal) Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari said new plants were coming up and this should end the shortage for raw materials.

Earlier, the official made a presentation on Qatar’s five-year plan, which is due to end by 2009/10. Under the plan, a total of nearly QR32bn is expected to be invested in various projects.

Half of this, QR16bn, would be spent on building roads, QR8bn for drainage works and QR7.2bn for buildings, he said.

Qatar will be the third Gulf country in project activities after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a MEED official pointed out.

Al-Kuwari, who was standing in for managing director Zayed Mansour al-Khayarin, said: “Ashghal contracts are divided into three categories according to their value.

“Those up to the value of QR100mn are set aside for local companies. Local companies and joint ventures can bid for those valued up to QR200mn while those above are open to all – local, joint ventures and international companies.”

To facilitate execution of projects, Ashghal is giving several “concessions” to contractors, al-Kuwari pointed out. They included advance payment of the contract value up to 10%; unrestricted import of construction materials and machinery irrespective of the age of the machines; and allowing any number of visas for the staff, including labourers. Besides, the payment gap has been reduced from 90 days to 45 days.

The official gave a detailed account of the ongoing and future projects.

They included the North Road, which have been divided into three phases; the Landmark Interchange; Dukhan Road, which consists of three phases; and the Doha Expressway.

Once the Doha Expressway is completed, “you can drive from the north of the country up to Mesaieed non-stop. It is a freeway,” al-Kuwari said.

Other major road projects included the Lusail Road, Salwa Highway-Phase 2, the D Ring Road-Wakrah Road and Dukhan Highway.

The official also disclosed that the Mall roundabout would be converted into an interchange as will be the adjacent roundabout on the D Ring Road, which was recently fitted with temporary signals. This interchange will have an underpass.

The busy Ramada interchange also will have an underpass.

Talking about the proposed GCC rail network, al-Kuwari said a feasibility study was currently under way.

The official also spoke about the forthcoming building and drainage works, which includes a medical tower, central laboratory; Wakrah Hospital, clinics in various parts of the country, and a number of schools.

Hurdles to key road works ‘being sorted’

Latest Update: Monday22/1/2007January, 2007,

The present condition of the service roads near Suhaim bin Hamad has affected businesses

By Arvind Nair

BUSINESS establishments on Suhaim bin Hamad Street and Ahmed bin Ali road can now breathe easy as road works, including their access roads, are likely to be completed around March.

In fact, the works should have ended last October but was delayed due to numerous reasons. Besides the usual problem of non-availability of raw materials like cement and bitumen, there was also an “issue with land acquisition” for the Suhaim bin Hamad Road, its project manager Bilal A Jayyousi, senior civil engineer at the projects department of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), told Gulf Times.

“The land acquisition issue is in the way of being sorted out and the entire work is expected to be completed by April”, the official said.

An additional challenge for the project was the need to keep the traffic flowing throughout the work period. “This necessarily slowed down the progress of our work”.

Answering criticism that the contractors have “resumed” digging after the Asian Games, Jayyousi said work had never stopped.

Some work still remained to be completed with regard to the infrastructure development and service roads, including car parks.

After The Games were over, “we continued our work in front of restaurants,” he explained.

“The road was never completely closed except for four days for laying the final layer of asphalt,” he said.

Pedestrian access was maintained at all times, he added. Ashghal always insists on three things in its projects: quality, safety and minimum disruption of life. These aspects were always taken care of, he stressed.

In the case of the Suhaim bin Hamad street, there was an additional requirement of having to keep the main carriageway open during the work. This had to be done owing to the road’s importance.

Some inconvenience is unavoidable when development works take place, Jayyousi pointed out.

The job has to be carried out to catch up with the development in the rest of the country. For this, some local closures, lasting not more than two days, must have taken place, he added.

The inconvenience due to road works is only temporary and business establishments have already begun to reap the benefits, Jayyousi said.

Work was started in July 2005 and was to end by late October. However, additional requirements by some authorities like Kahramaa, Qtel and the Ministry of Interior, led to a revision in schedule and is now set for a mid-March finish.

Jayyousi disclosed the Suhaim bin Hamad Street project runs for 2.1km from Ramada junction up to the Hamad Medical City underpass.

It included construction of a three-lane dual carriageway, upgrading and renovation of all infrastructure networks, and converting the al-Sadd and Advisory Council Roundabouts into signalled interchanges.

It also involved setting up of a new interchange at the al-Kanana Street and Qatari bin Fuja Street. The QR79.5mn work is being carried out by Boom Construction Company.

Jayyousi, who is also in-charge of the Ahmed bin Ali Road works, said its completion date too had to be delayed because of additional drainage works requirement and an extra service road near the TV roundabout.. The road, which starts from the underpass and extends until the TV roundabout, is expected to be completed by mid-March.

Ahmed bin Ali Street at bin Omran is also 2.1km long and the work includes laying three-lane dual carriageway, along with service roads, two traffic signals, infrastructure works and landscaping. The QR60mn project has been undertaken by United Construction Establishment.

The road also boasts of special lightings and decorative Pollards and plantations on the median. The project also involved partial improvement to the Mohamed bin Thani Street at the bin Omran junction.

Jayyousi urged motorists to drive within the specified speeds since both the Suhaim Bin Hamad and Ahmad Bin Ali Streets are “very busy” roads.

Dutch companies keen on tie-up, says Ashghal chief

Latest Update: Wednesday27/9/2006September, 2006,

Staff Reporter

Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin making a presentation on Ashghal projects in Holland

ZAYED Mansoor al-Khayarin, board member and managing director of Public Works Authority (Ashghal), said his recent visit to Holland was "fruitful and achieved notable gains".

Khayarin’s three-day trip was at the invitation from the Dutch government.

A number of companies in Holland had shown eagerness to collaborate with Ashghal projects and to benefit from the investment opportunities, the Ashghal chief said. All these companies are well known for their developmental projects in the European market.

Participation of Dutch companies in Ashghal projects is expected to have a positive impact and there would be healthy competition among international companies working on road, drainage and building projects in Qatar, Khayarin said.

In the Netherlands, the managing director held extensive meetings with major contracting companies working in infrastructure. He gave a comprehensive presentation of Ashghal’s Five-Year Plan that will end in the year 2009-10.

The official explained the financial, administrative and legal facilities provided to foreign undertakings. They include payment of 10% of the contract value in advance, reducing the period of payment to 45 days, free import of building materials and facilitating entry visas for the staff.

The Ashghal has also changed rules to allow companies import heavy machinery irrespective of their models provided they pass the technical inspection, ensure security and meet the environmental standards, the managing director told his hosts.

Zayed al-Khayarin also held a meeting with the Business Promotion Council of Holland and International Business Relations Department of the Ministry of Economy of Holland. Issues like mutual co-operation and exchange of experience and information were discussed.

Ashghal markets its projects locally and internationally to attract companies from Europe and Asia.

As a result, 46 local and international companies have purchased tender documents for the Wakrah Hospital project. Previously, only a few companies used to come forward to offer bids.

The increase in the number of bidding companies shows the success of Ashghal’s marketing and business development strategy, officials pointed out. Top officials from various countries are now approaching the authority. The latest example is the visit last week by a South Korean delegation, comprising government officials and business giants.

At the same time, Khayarin pointed out that the role of local companies is never undermined. They have been actively participating in many important projects. They include Ahmed bin Ali Street, Suhaim bin Hamad Street, North Road (Phase 1 - Landmark), Airport Main Road, and al-Khafaji Street.

Though these companies had faced some problems in executing the projects, they solved them well. The managing director also appreciated joint ventures between local and international companies.

The Qatari market is "generally open" to local and international companies. But, Ashghal has the authority to decide on giving tenders, he added.

Khayarin pointed out that Ashghal has classified its tenders into three categories, depending on the value of projects. The first type, projects worth QR100mn or less, is open only to local companies.

The second type, where tender value ranges from QR100mn to QR200mn, is open to joint ventures which includes a Qatari partner with a minimum of 51% share.

In the third category, where the tender value is more than QR200mn, both Qatari and non-Qatari companies are eligible to participate. Foreign companies are not required to have a Qatari partner in this category.

Koreans to participate in huge infrastructure works

Latest Update: Friday22/9/2006September, 2006,

Staff Reporter

Ashghal officials and delegation members at the meeting

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday invited South Koreans to take part in the massive infrastructure works taking place in the country.

The solicitation was extended by Ashghal’s acting managing director Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari when a South Korean delegation visited PWA office.

Qatar has long-standing relations with Korea and "we want to encourage you to come and work with us", Ashghal’s acting chief told the visitors. "You will feel at home here and we will extend all assistance for you to work in the infrastructure sector", Kuwari said.

He urged the companies to get themselves pre-qualified for the forthcoming projects.

The 29-member visiting team was led by Lee Sang-hoom, director at the Ministry of Construction and Transportation in Seoul.

He said Doha was going to be a "very interesting and important city in the next 10 years". He said he liked to see more international companies from Korea taking up works here.

Before extending the invitation, Ashghal officials made presentations on the country’s multi-billion riyal five-year plan. Ibrahim Hashim al-Sada, director of Road Affairs, explained the current and forthcoming road works; Jaber Ali al-Mohannadi, drainage affairs director, made a presentation on the works carried out by his department; and Mohamed Ali Darwish, chief of building affairs, spoke about projects under his responsibility.

Except for three members, all the members of the high-level delegation are from the private sector, representing engineering, construction and contracting companies.

The 15-company team included such heavyweights as Hyundai, Daewoo and Samsung. Some of the members are based in the other Gulf countries..

Lee remarked that Doha was a dynamic city now, different from what he had seen in his previous visits. The city would provide business opportunities to the Korean companies and others, he said.

Delegation members raised a number of points after the presentation. One of them wanted to know if Koreans could get tax exemption for importing materials required for projects.

Ahmed al-Kuwari said companies could import any required material but duty was a government subject and had to be paid. However, he said, the government had recently exempted three materials from taxation: gabbro, cement and steel.The exemption was available for a few months more, Kuwari aid.

In any case, the duty is "only 5%", one Ashghal official said. To this, one visitor retorted that "often 5% is our entire profit".

Another delegation member complained that it took "too long" for the visas to be processed. "This is a problem".

Kuwari said the situation had changed with all government departments speeding up their activities.

One company said there should be a clause for escalation since price of materials went up constantly. Kuwari answered that companies could include this clause in their bid but it could affect their competitiveness against other bidders.

Also present were Saad Ahmed al-Misnad, director of Contract and Engineering Business Affairs, Ashghal department heads, Koh Kyung-sok, deputy head of the Korean embassy and consul Park Sung-jin.

The delegation which came on Wednesday night is leaving today.

Visa curbs go to help speed up projects

Latest Update: Wednesday19/4/2006April, 2006

Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari

By Arvind Nair

Qatar has removed visa restrictions on certain nationalities, a senior official of Ashghal said yesterday.

Addressing a session on opportunities in infrastructure and construction at the Qatar Economic Forum, Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari, assistant managing director for technical affairs at Ashghal, said the step was taken in order to facilitate fast-track work on the country’s infrastructure development.

Development of infrastructure is of top priority for the country now and removal of visa curbs for construction and contracting companies should help accelerate the projects, he said.

Earlier, visas for certain nationals were highly restricted because the government felt their number in the country was already “too high”.

Similarly, contracting companies are also now free to bring any material from anywhere. This was also restricted before.

To encourage local companies to participate in the construction work, Ashghal gives 10% advance payment, Kuwari said. The government has also reduced the payment gap for the work done.

Local companies are given special consideration in awarding contracts. All the projects worth less than QR100mn are reserved for local firms. However, they are not allowed to outsource work.

Projects worth QR100mn to QR300mn are offered to joint ventures between a local company and a foreign entity. A third category, projects above QR300mn, are open for free competition for all, provided the bidding company meets the requirements.

Ashghal, jointly with Urban Development and Planning Authority, has developed a master plan covering all infrastructural requirements for the next five years, al-Kuwari said. They include roads, drainage works and buildings.

QR31bn would be spent during the five-year plan period (2005-2009/10) on these works. Some 10% of this amount would be spent on roads alone, the official said.

There were a number of road projects now either under execution or at the design stage. Many of them will be completed before December this year, when Qatar will be hosting Asian Games.

The projects that would be completed before the Games include Salwa International Highway (Phase 1), Suhaim bin Hamad Street, North Road (from Gharaffa junction to North Bridge), Airport Road (from al-Saleh roundabout to Salmeen (previously double RA), Ahmed bin Ali Street (from bin Omran to TV RA), Lusail Road and several roads to the Tower Zone.

“Hopefully, we will complete all the major roads by 2009-10,” he added.

The North Road will be built in three phases. The first phase, which includes the Landmark interchange, will “hopefully be completed before the end of the year”. The second phase, from North Bridge to Al Khor, is under tender and the third phase will link the North Road to Zubara, from where the causeway to Bahrain is proposed.

Talking about drainage works, al-Kuwari said the current capacity is enough to serve a population of 700,000 to 800,000. After the current projects are done, it would be enough for 1mn people.

Ashghal is also currently involved in building the Olympic Village, which after the Games would be converted to Hamad Medical City. This should be ready by July/August, he said.

It is also building new schools, new kindergartens, a central laboratory, which can test the quality of gold, and a multi-storey car park at Grand Hamad Avenue. Two or three multi-level car parks would be built at the Tower Zone, “which is currently congested”.

Other projects under consideration include development of Ruwais and Al Khor ports, health centres, and Muntazah garden, Kuwari said..

Company begins gabbro imports to meet shortage

Latest Update: Saturday14/8/2004August, 2004

Business Reporter

QATAR Quarries and Building Materials Company has begun importing gabbro from a neighbouring market in view of its shortage in the state.

The closed shareholding company, which was recently formed to meet Qatar’s requirement of aggregates and building materials, already has gabbro in excess of 50,000t at Mesaieed Port, company sources said on Thursday.

Three shipments of identical quantity would be imported every month till December, they added.

The company said gabbro would be delivered to customers at Mesaieed’s stockyard at the rate of QR60/tonne.

Those requiring gabbro should contact the company’s office at the West Corner Building, Salwa Road.

The shareholders of Qatar Quarries and Building Materials Company are Qatar Navigation and Qatar Shipping (25% each), Qatar National Cement Company (20%), Qatar Foundation (10%), General Retirement and Pension Authority (10%) and Qatar Real Estate and Investment Company (10%).

Sources said Qatar’s requirements of gabbro, a granular igneous rock widely used by the construction industry, would have to be met entirely by imports due to the closure of stone crushing units in the state.

All quarries in Qatar would have to be closed down by the year-end in view of a recent decision taken by the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural reserves (SCENR) and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA).

The move against the stone crushing units followed a joint study by the SCENR and the MMAA, which said they were causing damage to the environment.

SECTION 2 : Traffic Rules

Traffic dept plans 25 weigh bridges to check overloading

Latest Update: Wednesday9/4/2008April, 2008

Col Marafia... curbs on heavy vehicles

By Arvind Nair

THE authorities are planning to build 25 weigh bridges in different locations in Qatar to ensure heavy vehicles do not carry more than the permitted load.

Head of Planning, Safety and Radars at the Traffic Department, Col Mohamed Marafia told Gulf Times that the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) would be building the facilities.

The locations would be selected jointly by the Traffic Department and Ashghal in consultation with the Urban Planning and Development Authority.

Currently, Col Marafia said, the department operated 10 mobile weigh bridges in addition to the sole fixed facility at the Abu Samra border check post.

Already, heavy vehicles are under the Traffic Department’s scanner to see if they violate the rules on the maximum weight and size specifications. The maximum load allowed to be carried is 45 tonnes.

The load carried by trucks should not be more than 2.6m wide and the height should not be more than 4.2m. The length is restricted to a maximum of 12m. However, trailers are allowed to have a length of 17m, according to the regulations.

However, the authorities realise that there may be occasions when heavier or bulkier materials may have to be transported. In such cases, the transporter needs to get the permission from the traffic authorities who will assign a special route and time for the goods to be transported.

Though the maximum weight permitted is 45 tonnes, there have been instances of vehicles carrying up to 85 tonnes of load, it is pointed out.

Besides the weight and size specifications, there are other restrictions imposed on heavy vehicles in terms of timings and routes.

For instance, they are not allowed to ply the city roads from 6am to 10pm when most roads are packed with passenger vehicles.

Drivers violating the rules are liable to be fined.

Col Marafia disclosed that the authorities had installed 70 speed radars and cameras at various traffic lights and highways, covering most of the major roads and signals within Doha city.

Another 13 speed guns are being operated from mobile tripods, in addition to two radars fixed on cars. The tripods are moved to different unmarked locations from time to time as are the cars.

According to officials, all these measures had an impact on traffic violations and speeding which was seen as the major cause of road accidents.

Heavy vehicles flouting rules face crackdown

Latest Update: Monday28/1/2008January, 2008,

staff Reporter

Al-Kuwari and Col Mohamed Marafia...drivers warned

AUTHORITIES have stepped up efforts to enforce weight restrictions on heavy vehicles, along with a heightened awareness campaign.

The campaign is being carried out by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and the traffic department.

Ashghal’s chief operations officer Ahmed Sultan al-Kuwari, and the Traffic Department’s safety, planning and radars in-charge, Col Mohamed Marafia, said the regulations were the same as before but would now be strictly enforced.

The maximum weight permissible for the biggest of trucks, as specified by the Qatar General Authority for Standards and Measurements, is 45tonnes.

The maximum length of a single truck or bus should not exceed 12.5m while that of a trailer and semi-trailer can only be 18m.

The maximum length for trailers carrying cars should not exceed 23m while the length permissible for any vehicle should not be more that 26m.

The permissible weight and size varied according to the truck size.

Those wanting to transport machines or commodities heavier and larger than the legally permitted specifications should seek prior permission from the authorities before entering the country, the officials stressed.

Sometimes, imported machines weighed as much as 150 tonnes, they pointed out.

The specifications were the same across the GCC, the officials said. Since the authorities began enforcing the regulations, the number of violations had dropped, Kuwari and Col Marafia said.

For instance, during August to December 2007, of the 26,916 heavy vehicles inspected, 8261, or 31%, were found flouting the rules... However, in the week-ended Saturday, the percentage of violators was just 3%.

This meant the word was already spreading, they said.

Often, people were not aware of the rules. There have been instances of vehicles loaded with more than 100 tonnes or as much as 120 tonnes.

This was not only a safety hazard to others but damaged the roads too, Kuwari said. People often accuse Ashghal of not doing anything and for the damage to newly-laid roads. Overloaded vehicles were one of major contributors for road damage, Kuwari pointed out.

Those who violate the rules will be fined QR3,000 and give one black point, Col Marafia said.

To enhance awareness among drivers, Ashghal and the traffic department are bringing out brochures in Arabic, English and Urdu. The brochures will highlight the regulations, what they mean and the objectives.

The authorities have installed a number of weigh-bridges on primary roads and at key locations like Dukhan, the North, Salwa, and Mesaie’ed, besides deploying six mobile weigh-bridges.

The objective is to go to locations like sand wash plants which were often found to be violating the rules.

In about “six to nine months”, a total of 16 more weigh bridges would be pressed into service.

Col Marafia said those who drove with illegible number plates would be cautioned. Second time offenders would be fined.

Al-Kuwari pointed out that new slip roads at junctions had eased traffic somewhat and “we are now moving to new junctions.”

Ashghal praises law on traffic

Latest Update: Friday5/10/2007October, 2007

THE new traffic law, which came into effect Tuesday, will bring discipline to the roads and protect public property against reckless driving, a statement issued by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday.

Ashghal hailed the law for stipulating stiff penalties against heavy vehicles violating the maximum 45 tons-weight as well as the 4.2 metres-height saying that violating such standards were causing much damage to roads.

“With the enforcement of the new law, the Traffic Department in association with Ashghal would install 16 more fixed scales at the exit and entry points to Doha to check violations,” the statement said.

It also hoped that the new law would serve as a deterrent for reckless heavy truck drivers who were damaging notice boards installed by Ashghal to guide motorists about ongoing road works and alternative roads they should take instead of closed ones.

SECTION 3 : Ashghal Organization

Ashghal names new officials

Latest Update: Wednesday16/1/2008January, 2008

Staff Reporter

PUBLIC Works Authority (Ashghal) CEO Zayed Mansour al-Khayarin has appointed new officials following an Ashghal board and Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA) decision.

Ahmad Sultan al-Kuwari is the new chief operating officer. Saad Ahmed al-Misnad has been appointed as director of Contracts Affairs, in addition to his present responsibility as acting director of Infrastructure Affairs.

Jabor Ali Rashid al-Mohannadi is director of Building Affairs, and Mohamed Ali Darwish chief technical adviser to the CEO, in addition to his present responsibility of acting director of Assets Affairs.

Sheikh Hasan Jabor al-Thani is the new director of Support Affairs, Abdussamad Mohamed al-Makki is the manager of Engineering Support Services and Khalid Mohammed al-Emadi has been appointed as the manager of the Department of Quality, Safety and Environment.

Hamad Rashid al-Kuwari is the manager of Public Relations, Abdulrahman Ibrahim Naimi secretary-general of Tenders Committees, and Abdul Latheef Khalaf al-Mohannadi manager of Doha Expressway Project.

Jalal Yusuf al-Salihi is manager of Projects Department for Roads and Drainage, Anas Ismael al-Kilani manager of Designs Department for Roads and Drainage and Abdul Hamid al-Radwani manager of Projects Department at Building Affairs.

Lahdan Saqr al-Muhannadi is manager of Designs Department at Buildings, Jasem Salman al-Sayegh manager of Engineering Management at Assets Affairs and Kazem al-Najjar manager of Operations and Maintenance of Drainages at Assets Affairs.

Mishal Nasser al-Khalifa is manager of Finance Department, Mohammed Hamad al-Kubaisi manager of Human Resources, Abdulaziz al-Saud manager of the Department of Information Systems and Telecommunications, and Mohammed Mehdi al-Yami manager of Corporate Development. Ahmed Rashid al-Sahoti is manager of General Services and Adel Mubarak al-Kuwari manager of the Office of CEO.

The new organisational structure will be effective from February 1.

The new structure for both Ashghal and the UPDA is designed by an international company, with a view of the rapid developments in infrastructure sector, and to realise Ashghal’s vision as well as to improve its performance.

Ashghal units are merged in revamp

Latest Update: Sunday13/1/2008January, 2008

Staff Reporter

A NEW organisational structure will be put in place at Ashghal from February 1, reflecting the Public Works Authority’s vision for development.

The new structure, prepared by an international company, has been approved by the board of directors. It was prepared after a study and discussion with all stake-holders.

The new structure is part of an effort to deal with rapid developments in the infrastructure sector and to realise Ashghal’s vision on the development of projects and to provide better service to the public, an official has said.

The company is divided into four major sectors: infrastructure affairs; building affairs; assets management and support affairs.

The existing road affairs and drainage affairs sectors have merged to become infrastructure affairs.

There is one department each for design, roads and drainage. This will avoid duplication of work and ensure full co-ordination. In addition, a new department for Doha Expressway has been introduced. This is one of Ashghal’s most important projects.

Building affairs did not undergo any change in the restructuring.

Assets management will deal with operations and maintenance, which was so far managed by road affairs and drainage affairs.

Operations and maintenance will be a different entity supervised by a separate section to monitor the performance of projects after completion.

Assets management comprises engineering department, and operation and maintenance department of roads and drainage.

Support affairs comprises departments that provide administrative support to all departments including finance, human resources, information systems, telecommunications, corporate development and general services.

All four sectors will have a COO.

Engineering support services and contracts affairs sections too will have a COO. Engineering support will provide all technical services to Ashghal’s operation in terms of planning, estimation and documentation of projects. Contracts engineering department is specialised to prepare project contracts, contract control, identify problems and find solutions.

The new structure also contains three major departments at the top. A CEO, replacing the current managing director, internal audit and legal affairs. Reporting to the CEO will be quality, safety & environment department, public relations and secretariat general for tender committees.

The tender committee is divided into three main committees - small, medium and big.

At the top of the organisational structure is the board of directors to whom the CEO, the legal affairs and internal audit will report directly.

SECTION 4 : Salwa Road News

Road project on track for timely completion

Latest Update: Monday25/6/2007June, 2007

Staff Reporter

THE Salwa International Highway project is to be completed within 12 months if work progresses as planned, Ashghal announced yesterday.

“During last month, a number of local companies have begun preparatory works to complete the project on time,” the Public Works Authority explained in a statement.

The works focus on mudding, preparation for asphalt level on the surface of highway and interchanges, in addition to electrical and lighting works.

The Project Management Committee chairman, Hilal Jiham al-Kuwari, said that the action team studied the project to know the details and to determine the best methods to complete the works as per schedule.

The team reached the conclusion to divide the project as contract packages, each containing items similar to some extent, in order to facilitate timely completion of works and to avoid scattered efforts of contractors.

The contract package has been designed to suit the potential of local contractors, as the managing team wanted to involve the local private sector in the accomplishment of the project. The 11 contractual package have been awarded to 10 competent local companies in April.

Al-Kuwari cited the achievements already made in the project. These include temporary lighting works on some parts of the road, completion of the power stations in preparation for the electrical work, installation of some light posts, completion of Abu Sidra Interchange and opening it to traffic, different service works.

Ashghal is publishing a monthly report in the local media on the project’s progress.

The working team is under the continuous follow-up of Ashghal board member and managing director Zayed Mansoor al-Khayarin, who is keen on the completion of the project that has faced many difficulties and obstacles before it was handed over to Ashghal.

Lately, the authority’s board, which is chaired by HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has formed a working committee to oversee the project.

Al-Kuwari, who is also a member of Ashghal’s Grand Tenders Committee heads the team, which comprises Yusuf Mohamed al-Othman (Qatar National Olympic Committee), Abdul Aziz Mohamed Al-Emadi and Mohamed Najeeb (Contracts Department, Ashghal).

Ashghal is not shirking responsibility, says official

Latest Update: Saturday17/2/2007February, 2007

Staff Reporter

MANAGING director of Public Works Authority (Ashghal) Zayed Mnasoor al-Khayyareen has, in a statement to the Qatar Broadcasting Services (QBS), denied the reports appearing in the press about Ashghal being asked to hand over charge of the Salwa road project.

Commenting on the findings of the special committee that was constituted to investigate the faulty implementation of a segment of the project, al-Khayyareen said that the committee conducted its investigation in an independent manner.

“Ashghal did not in any manner intervene in its decisions.”

He emphatically stated that Ashghal was in no way trying to shirk its responsibility.

In a related development, the Central Municipal Council (CMC) had called for the withdrawal of the project from Ashghal in the light of the findings of the independent committee set up the council. This committee was headed by CMC member Rashed al-Mirreikhi.

However, al-Merreikhi retracted his earlier position.

Explaining the steps taken on solving the problem, al-Khayyareen said that he had submitted a detailed report on all the projects under implementation, to HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani who is the chairman of Ashghal.

“Details of faulty design and financial irregularities have been mentioned in the report.. As an outcome of this report a special team has been constituted to supervise the Salwa road project.

The team is headed by Hilal Jeham al-Kuwari who is a member of the central committee for tenders and includes Yusuf Mohammed al-Othman and Nasser Ali al-Moulavi of the Qatar National Olympic Committee, Dr Abdul Aziz Muhammed al-Emadi and Dr Mohammed Najeeb of the contracts division of Ashghal.”

‘Blacklist firms for missing deadlines’

CMC calls for follow-up panel

Latest Update: Thursday18/1/2007January, 2007, Staff Reporter THE Central Municipal Council (CMC) has called for blacklisting of the contracting firms that did not complete projects on time. In a session held on Tuesday, the CMC has also recommended that the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) should evolve a mechanism for continuous evaluation of the technical capability and professionalism of all the contracting firms in order to ensure trouble-free execution of projects, local Arabic daily Arrayah said. These recommendations adopted by the CMC were part of the study prepared by the council’s co-ordination committee. Among the other recommendations was making contracting firms accountable for their work. “The relevant penalty clauses for delay or faulty execution of work should also be strictly implemented,” it said. It also recommended that the terms and conditions for tenders should include a clause on the previous track record of the firm and the grant of the tender should not be solely on the basis of the least quoted price. The CMC also called for the constitution of a follow-up committee to monitor the progress of work of all the road projects and to ensure completion within the deadline. The proposal to close all the ice factories, as recommended by the CMC’s services committee, was also approved with the observation that licence for ice factories should in future be granted after a careful study of the environmental prerequisites. In a related development, the findings of the special team to investigate into theSalwa Road debacle - where major defects appeared in a 55-km segment of the road after the rains - came up for discussion in a highly charged atmosphere since many of the members vociferously criticised the Ashghal. They reiterated the point made by the investigating team that Ashghal was aware of the faulty implementation of the work when it was in progress. “And the work was not coming up according to the mandatory standards and specifications,” Rashed al-Merraikhi, a CMC member, said that it is unfortunate that Ashghal refuses to co-operate with the CMC while the Ministry of Interior and the National Health Authority offer unreserved co-operation on all matters. It is also to be regretted that the person in charge of the roads division in Ashghal has qualifications that do not pertain to his job, they said. According to the members, the Public Works Authority failed to supervise the road projects in the country and this has caused big problems. They have branded the “poor quality construction” of the roads as a “scandal”, and demanded that the officials who were in charge of the projects must be questioned and punished, if found guilty. They proposed the formation of an independent committee to control and manage all affairs involving roads in the country, and prepare a comprehensive report about the condition of the roads, so that proper recommendations could be made.

Media accused of favouring Ashghal

Latest Update: Monday15/1/2007January, 2007

Staff Reporter

THE Central Municipal Council (CMC)'s Public Relations Department has accused the local media of favouring Ashghal on the deterioration of Salwa Road after the rains last month, a local Arabic daily has reported.

The problem in Salwa Road was discussed on a live local programme on Qatar Radio, which hosted CMC president Ibrahim al-Haidous and Ashghal director general Zayed Mansour al-Khayareen.

"The next morning most of the local newspapers carried the story partially, ignoring many aspects of the issue and the interviews broadcast," the CMC Public Relations Department said in letter to the daily.

It was pointed out that the dailies had skipped several points made by the CMC president and favoured Ashghal.

Highway damage being investigated

Latest Update: Wednesday27/12/2006December, 2006

Staff Reporter

A COMMITTEE will investigate the major defects that have emerged on the recently constructed 55km segment of the Salwa international highway, especially after the recent rains, reports in the local Arabic press said quoting a Public Works Authority (Ashghal) official.

Jamal Shereida al-Kabi, director of the department of road projects, said the committee includes officials from Ashghal, the central laboratory and the standards and specifications board.

The services of an impartial consultant have also been sought for writing the report after the investigation, said al-Kabi.

Repairing the highway requires a large allocation of funds. The damaged sections have been closed and alternative routes provided. The damage caused by the rains may have been due to faulty design and implementation, al-Kabi said.

Salwa road deteriorating, say municipal officials

Latest Update: Wednesday20/12/2006December, 2006

Staff Reporter

CMC members making on the spot inspection of the Salwa road

Central Municipal Council (CMC) members yesterday expressed "extreme concern" over what they called the "deteriorating condition of the Salwa road as well as the other newly built roads in the country".

In its weekly session yesterday, a committee of four CMC members was formed to review the condition of the Salwa road.

The committee members immediately went for an "on the spot" inspection of the road and review the technical defects that were exposed by the heavy rains that lashed Qatar during this month," Mohamed Khaled al-Ali, a member of the panel told reporters.

At the beginning of the session, al-Ali had submitted a report on the condition of the Salwa road blaming the Public Works Authority for what he described as "fatal defects" on building the road.

"Though the road has been completed only a short time ago, it is full of potholes and puddles," al-Ali said, while stressing that the committee would soon demand questioning of Ashghal officials.

"The condition of the road is deteriorating day by day and the heavy rains have exposed the poor quality of construction. The Public Works Authority has closed some sections of the road recently for repair," he added.

Other members have suggested expanding the mission of the committee to review the condition of all newly built roads, like the Al Waab road and Ahmed bin Ali street, which, they said, have been found to have "terrible defects".

However, CMC speaker Ibrahim al-Haidous rejected the suggestion saying that the mission of the committee should be confined only to review the Salwa road.

"Salwa road is an international road and it was expanded at a cost of millions of riyals," he said, while promising to raise the issue in the coming sessions.

Another member, Abdullah Saleh al-Kuwari, said that the committee should take into account the number of road accidents occurred due to the serious defects in building the road and the lack of the notice boards, cautioning drivers, along Salwa road.