Construction of 37 stations, which comprise the first phase of the Doha Metro, is gradually taking off with demarcation and establishment of sites, local daily Al-Sharq has reported. |
Grand Hamad Street, Al Rayan, Al Messila, Al Sadd, Al Dafna and Msheireb are among the stations where work has begun.
The pace of construction is expected to gather momentum with the arrival of specialised deep drilling machines after three months, the daily said.
The Doha Metro is an integral part of the Qatar Rail Development Programme (QRDP). Consisting of four lines, the Metro network will cover the Greater Doha area and include connections to town centres and vital commercial and residential areas throughout the city. In central Doha, the Metro will be underground, whilst at the outskirts, it will mainly be at ground-level or elevated.
Al Dafna district is slated to have one of the largest underground stations. The report indicated that the cost of the Qatar Railways project is expected to reach $50bn and that 80% of the metro lines will be underground.
The other components of the QRDP are an international express train line connecting Qatar with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and a Light Rail Transit system in the upcoming Lusail City.
The length of Doha Metro network is around 216km, with as many as 100 stations. A salient feature is that all the stadiums hosting the tournaments of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be connected with the Metro network by 2019, the daily added.
Al Khor Fly-In to spread its wings
Next year’s edition of Al Khor Fly-In will be the biggest in the history of the event, organising committee chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad al-Thani has said. |
“We kept our promise to make this year’s Al Khor Fly-In bigger and better than last year. Next year’s edition will be the biggest ever,” he explained.
As many as 15,000 people attended the seventh edition of the Al Khor Fly-In, held at The Al Khor Airport last weekend, marking the biggest turnover so far for the event.
Both children and adults were amazed at the line-up of activities held over two days, which included parachute jumping, aerobatic show, static displays, as well as rare opportunities of interacting with world-class pilots from Qatar, the region and the world.
Civil Aviation Authority chairman Abdulaziz al-Nuaimi expressed pride in having played a key role in the successful staging of the event.
“As the Qatari government body mainly in-charge with all civil aviation activities in this country, we are very much delighted to be able to provide young children, as well as their families, with a unique experience and platform that allow them to get a closer glimpse into the world of aviation.
“I definitely would not be surprised if some of the best minds in aviation of this country, including the best pilots, would someday come from the crowd who had gathered at Al Khor Fly-In,” he added.
Sheikh Ahmed expressed his gratitude for the support provided by the Civil Aviation Authority and the event’s key sponsors.
Organising committee vice-chairman Khalid Abdulrahman al-Khater thanked the families, residents and visitors who attended the event.
“It was indeed fulfilling to see all the fun, laughter and even amazement on the faces of children and their parents at the show,” he said.
The event was supported by platinum sponsor Qatar Airways, gold sponsor Ooredoo and RasGas, and silver sponsors Barwa Bank, Qafco and Gulf Helicopters.
The Al Khor Airport is located 31km north of Doha, and is to the east of the Al Khor coastal road.
Long-time Qatar resident dies
Abdul Razzak Saddaf, a Pakistani poet and long-time Qatar resident, died of cardiac arrest in Doha yesterday. Saddaf, 62, will be buried at Abu Hamour graveyard today, according to his son Mohamed Fazal Saeed. Funeral prayers will be offered at the cemetery after Asr prayers. |
Saddaf leaves behind his wife, two sons and three daughters. Saddaf had been living in Qatar since 1976. He hailed from Pakistan’s Sahiwal district . He had actively participated in literary activities in Pakistan, Doha and the UAE.
Untrained hands in technical jobs ‘a serious problem’
The practice of recruiting untrained labourers and deploying them for technical jobs has come in for criticism from a number of experts and citizens, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday.
“Thousands of inexperienced workers are being recruited annually to a variety of technical jobs in Qatar and this trend is causing huge financial loss to the clients,” an expert said.
Many of the car workshops in the Industrial Area, shops offering plumbing, repair of electronic and electrical devices, and dish antenna installation depend on such untrained labourers, a citizen observed.
“Such unqualified workers, who ironically demand high wages, could cause damage when they install electrical or electronic devices or electricity cables, as it has been experienced by many residents,” he explained.
Qatari businessman Ahmed al-Khalaf said there were many complaints about inefficient technicians. He was of the view that the main perpetrators of this phenomenon is the so-called ‘paper companies’ which obtain notional commercial registrations for bringing labourers without having any specific projects for them to work on.
“These labourers, once they realise the plight they are in, attempt to earn a living by any means such as falsely claiming experience, the consequence of which is suffered by the residents of this country,” he added.