(MENAFN- Gulf Times) HE
the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed
al-Sulaiti has said that the celebration of National Day is an
expression of pride and the eternal glory that the parents and
forefathers made on this blessed land, in particular the Founder Sheikh
Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who charted for the State the path of
development, growth and prosperity, and carried the torch after him the
wise leadership of this nation.
Speaking on the occasion of National
Day, the minister noted that thanks to its wise leadership, Qatar was
able to make great achievements that contributed to the security and
well-being of the citizens. 'It established the foundations of
development and modernisation and a solid national economic base in the
ranks of the global economic powers, the minister noted, stressing that
the leadership of the country is moving forward in making more
achievements for this precious country in all fields.
On the theme of
celebrating National Day this year, ‘Promise of Prosperity and Glory',
the minister said that this slogan represents a factor of safety and
confidence in the strength, wisdom and steadfastness of the leadership
and its ability to overcome obstacles and difficulties. 'It also
reassures the citizens and residents in this country, he said, adding
that the other dimension of this statement by His Highness the Emir
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is to ensure maintaining growth and
development, along with adherence to the sovereignty of the State,
freedom of decision, unity of its people and leadership.
On the
unjust siege imposed on Qatar, the minister said that since the first
moment of the declaration of the siege by the blockading countries,
Qatar has realised that the crisis is fabricated and there is no
justification for it. 'It therefore chose a firm approach to dealing
with developments based on a number of pillars, far from being dragged
into making ill-considered decisions in light of the crisis.
He said
that Qatar has repeatedly declared its commitment to its willingness to
discuss any differences on the dialogue table in exchange for rejecting
any attempt to impose dictates on it or to harm the independence of its
national sovereignty. This has led to its response to the various
efforts put forward to resolve the crisis.
The minister noted all
the legal measures taken by Qatar to counter the arbitrariness of the
siege countries, particularly in the air and maritime transport sector
and the postal sector, which resulted in important decisions of the
relevant international organisations forcing the siege countries to
comply with the relevant international
conventions and resolutions.
The
Ministry of Transport and Communications has made many achievements in
2017. It has developed and improved services in the land and maritime
transport sectors, telecommunications and information technology, the
implementation and supervision of e-government programmes. The ministry
has also adopted Qatarisation strategy and has attracted qualified
Qatari cadres of both sexes to fill administrative and specialised
positions in the transport and communications sectors in the country,
the minister said.
In the field of road transportation, the ministry
has continued to work on the draft railways law with the aim of
establishing a world-class sustainable rail network with the highest
standards of quality and safety. The ministry is also working on the
establishment of an integrated system for the payment of public
transport tickets in Qatar as well as integrated database for the road
transport sector and heavy transport, he added.
In the field of
preliminary design projects, designs are being prepared for a number of
roads in Doha. The designs are expected to be completed and transferred
to the executive bodies before the end of 2017. The ministry has
completed the study of the comprehensive plan for pedestrian crossings
in Qatar and will be launched in the first quarter of 2018. The ministry
also working on a study on the comprehensive plan for vehicle parking,
in order to develop a strategy for the State in terms of vehicle parking
and associated systems and standards, in addition to the work of
studying the modernisation of the comprehensive transport plan of Qatar,
the minister said.
In terms of improving public transport services,
the ministry has been working hard to intensify effort for the existing
bus network and routes to include improvements and new services for bus
traffic, the minister noted.
Karwa has made great strides in
expanding its bus services. The company has increased the requirements
of public bus services to 295 buses, an increase of about 25%, he added.
Qatar
Railways Company (Rail) has made great efforts. In the Doha Metro
project, the overall completion rate of the project has reached about
70% according to schedule. The Lusail light rail project is 66%.
With
regard to maritime transport, Qatar Port Management Company has opened
Hamad Port in Um Al Hool area, several direct shipping lines have been
inaugurated between Hamad Port and a number of ports in the region and
beyond. Al Ruwais Port is also ready to receive various types of
commercial goods, mainly construction materials. The Port Market will be
launched at Ruwais Port to sell a wide range of foreign products from
the commercial shipping vessels directly before entering the local
market.
In the air transport field, the Civil Aviation Authority has
many achievements. It has started to modernise the aviation safety
technical regulations in co-operation with all aviation stakeholders in
the country. A number of modifications have been made to the
airworthiness regulations to ensure a more efficient aircraft
maintenance
system, he noted.
As part of the commitment of the
Ministry of Communications to create an integrated digital society, the
ministry has made a number of programmes and initiatives, such as Qatar
Smart Programme 'Tasmu at Qitcom 2017. In addition, the Digital
Community Development Sector has completed the development of
information security standards for the Qatar Smart Program, the data
management standards and the design criteria of Qatar Smart Platform,
which ensures that the technology sector is competitive globally, as
well as the design of the detailed model of the Smart Qatar platform and
the completion of three projects, the
minister said.(QNA)
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