Sports
Dubai to have sustainable residential city for Emiratis
Dubai to have sustainable residential city for Emiratis Sajila Saseendran / 4 March 2014 Civic body to implement Dh20 billion projects Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Maktoum attend the briefing on the Dubai Municipality’s new projects on Monday. — Wam Dubai has announced a new residential city for Emiratis which will be self-sufficient in terms of resources, transport and energy, said to be the first of its kind in the world. The ‘Dubai Smart Sustainable City’ was one of many Dubai Municipality projects worth Dh20 billion that were approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday. An estimated 160,000 people will live in this self-reliant city that will come up near Al Aweer Roundabout, by the time Dubai hosts the World Expo in 2020. Shaikh Mohammed was briefed about this ambitious project of the Dubai Municipality during his visit to the municipality headquarters. The Director-General of the Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, and senior officials briefed Shaikh Mohammed on various projects aimed at providing the essence of good life for citizens and residents, and quality facilities and smart services to the public in all areas of the emirate. Shaikh Mohammed in discussion with members of the Unesco’s World Heritage Committee in the presence of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed and Hussain Nasser Lootah when they visited the municipality on Monday. The delegation is visiting the UAE to get first-hand knowledge about the Dubai Creek as a natural and cultural heritage site. — Wam Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, also attended the briefing. The most important of the new plans was the project titled ‘Dubai Smart Sustainable City’ which will be spread across a total area of 14,000 hectares and will be built in the shape of a desert flower. Surrounded by a green belt, the city will provide 20,000 plots for Emiratis. The roofs of the homes and buildings will be covered with solar panels which will provide 200 megawatts of electricity. The city will also recycle over 40,000 cubic metres of waste water. In line with the directives of Shaikh Mohammed, work on the project will commence immediately and is expected to be completed in 2020, the state news agency Wam reported. Dawood Al Hajri, the director of the Planning Department, presented the project which is aimed at bolstering Dubai’s ambition to become one of the top-10 sustainable cities by 2020. In September 2013, the Dubai Municipality had formed a high-level sustainability committee under the chairmanship of Assistant Director-General for Engineering and Planning Sector Abdullah Raffia to implement the green building regulations and other sustainable projects in the emirate. An artist’s impression of the proposed Dubai Boats Market. — Wam The Director of the Projects Department, Mohamed Al Mashroom, presented the Dubai Boats Market that is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East. Proposed to be located at Al Barsha South, covering 35 acres with a 10 hectares man-made lake for boats, the project will be an attraction for water sports enthusiasts once completed. It will contribute in converting Dubai to a global hub for manufacturing and selling of boats and fishing equipment and attract investments to the industry. Shaikh Mohammed also watched a presentation on the Palm Park project by Engineer Fatima Al Muhairi. Containing over 150 types of palm trees grown in the UAE, the project aims to be an educational, cultural and heritage project from which the current generation of the UAE can learn about the nation’s heritage and culture. The park will include a plaza for various activities, a lake, seating areas for families and playgrounds for children. Shaikh Mohammed was also briefed about other prestigious projects like digital address for Dubai and electronic system for food imports. Expressing his satisfaction with the projects, Shaikh Mohammed gave the green light for their implementation. He also praised the exemplary efforts of the municipality teams to make Dubai a smart and sustainable city. On the sidelines of the visit, Shaikh Mohammed also met a delegation of ambassadors and representatives of member countries of the Unesco World Heritage Committee who are on a visit to the UAE to acquaint themselves with Dubai Creek, which is nominated to be registered in the World Heritage list. sajila@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Enjoy boating, kart racing at Al Montazah Park
Enjoy boating, kart racing at Al Montazah Park Afkar Abdullah (afkarali@khaleejtimes.com) / 2 March 2014 Spreading over 126,000 square metres, Al Montazah Park boasts three main sections comprising a first-of-its-kind water park in Sharjah that will cover 26,000 square metres, a 50,000 square metre green park and a 50,000 square metre leisure park. An overview of the Al Montazah Park.- Supplied photo The trial opening of Al Montazah Park, previously known as Al Jazeera Park, took place on Sunday in the run up to its grand opening on March 13. Spreading over 126,000 square metres, Al Montazah Park boasts three main sections comprising a first-of-its-kind water park in Sharjah that will cover 26,000 square metres, a 50,000 square metre green park and a 50,000 square metre leisure park. The water park offers world-class facilities and water rides for all ages along with green areas for picnics. In addition to its modern design, the water park offers safety and protection services, along with lifeguards. The green park section will include green picnic areas and a venue dedicated to host events as well as a number of world-class restaurants, cafes, a lake for boating, and a mosque. The third part of the park called leisure park will entertain video game lovers with a variety of electronic games for all ages, along with a kart racing track for adults and children, and two mini football pitches. The trial opening of Al Montazah Park aims at ensuring that safety and security standards are in place, so visitors can enjoy quality services safely throughout the week. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), developers of the project, said: “The opening of Al Montazah is a new addition to tourism in Sharjah and the UAE, a move that will contribute to increasing the flow of tourists into the emirate, particularly family tourism. “Sharjah has firmly established itself as family tourism region, due to its excellent attractions and tourist landmarks offering diverse options for visitors, to share and enjoy precious time with family, friends, and loved ones in a safe and beautiful atmosphere. He added: “The management has begun the trial operation of the project which will be open to the public within two weeks.” He pointed out that Al Montazah will receive a limited number of visitors during the trial operation so as to allow the project’s management to monitor the efficiency and quality of facilities and services, as well as to listen to visitors’ comments, before the official opening. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director-General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), has welcomed the initiation of several new tourism projects in Sharjah including the Al Montazah Park developed by Shurooq at a cost of Dh100 million. The strategic location of Al Montazah Park (in the heart of Sharjah) on the edge of the Khalid Lagoon and with its capacity to receive around three million visitors a year, the latest addition to Sharjah’s skyline will help attract more visitors to the emirate from across the UAE and the region, Al Midfa said. Shurooq is currently undertaking the development and management of other tourist, leisure and family entertaining facilities in Sharjah, most notably Al Qasba, Al Majaz Waterfront and the Flag Island. It is currently embarking on a range of new projects, including the Heart of Sharjah, Al Jabal Resort, The Chedi Khorfakkan and the Kalba Ecotourism project. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
RTA gears up for extensive events in Gulf Traffic Week
RTA gears up for extensive events in Gulf Traffic Week (Wam) / 2 March 2014 Maitha bin Udai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA, underscored the importance of the traffic event which will run from March 9 to 14 and has prompted traffic sectors to showcase their best services to road users, along with their efforts to upgrade traffic movement-related systems and procedures and improving traffic safety levels. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has geared up for the upcoming unified GCC Traffic Week 2014, which will be widely participated in by the Ministry of Interior and Traffic Directorates’ departments across the GCC. Maitha bin Udai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA, underscored the importance of the traffic event which will run from March 9 to 14 and has prompted traffic sectors to showcase their best services to road users, along with their efforts to upgrade traffic movement-related systems and procedures and improving traffic safety levels. “We have started our preparations for the Gulf Traffic Week by designing a programme targeting most community segments in the Emirate of Dubai. We have strived to diversify the means of communication with the public via awareness flashes in cinemas, cash counters in retail cooperative societies, shopping centres and RTA’s e-messaging signs. We have also worked on organising extensive awareness events targeting families in hospitals and medical centres, RTA’s public bus drivers, and youths in some sports clubs in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council,” she said. Maitha added, “The Agency will also distribute child car seats in some new ‘mums-oriented’ events, in collaboration with the Dubai Health Authority and as part of ‘Generations Safety is Shared Responsibility’ initiative.” She called on community members to cooperate for the success of Gulf Traffic Week events through their participation, besides cooperating with the traffic enforcement personnel, and to continuously observe proper traffic behaviour. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
