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Muscat Daily
2 days ago
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Governorates work on aligning urban strategies with Vision 2040
Haima – Authorities in Al Wusta and Dhahirah have launched a series of planning workshops aimed at advancing local development strategies and aligning these with Oman Vision 2040 and national development plans. In Haima, a workshop was held on Monday to assess progress of the urban strategy for Al Wusta. The session was organised jointly by the Governor's Office and Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. It focused on monitoring implementation of strategic goals, project classification and data management. Participants agreed on a joint working mechanism between the Governor's Office and Directorate of Housing to coordinate development efforts. The workshop also addressed key challenges in data updates and reviewed possible solutions. Officials stressed the need for effective communication among relevant bodies to ensure integration across sectors. The workshop was attended by Sheikh Mohammed Ali al Ghafaili, Wali of Haima, and several local officials. In Ibri, a workshop was held on Sunday themed 'Defining the Strategic Goal of Dhahirah'. It brought together representatives of government bodies, the private sector and local community. Discussions centred on the governorate's strategic vision, drawing on its comparative advantages to guide future planning. The workshop was part of the first phase of the Dhahirah Strategy Development Project, which seeks to position the governorate as a gateway linking Oman with neighbouring countries. The project follows a participatory approach and aims to develop an inclusive roadmap with clear implementation steps. Both workshops reflect the sultanate's broader decentralisation efforts and the growing role of governorates in shaping local development agendas.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Madison County manager and Marshall town administrator Gilliam takes state job
RALEIGH - Forrest Gilliam has had the best interests of residents in his hometown in mind since before he was a teenager. Now, Gilliam will work with the state governor to help Western North Carolina towns in their rebuilds. The former Marshall town administrator and Madison County manager is now working with Gov. Josh Stein's Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) to help Western North Carolina municipalities in their Tropical Storm Helene recovery efforts. Gilliam will serve as GROW NC's legislative director. 'I am committed to bringing leaders to the GROW NC team who will prioritize urgency, focus, transparency and accountability to help rebuild Western North Carolina,' Gov. Stein said in a release, in which the Governor's Office also announced Sharon Decker, a former Secretary of Commerce, will serve as a senior advisor for GROW NC. "I am grateful for their continued service to the people of Western North Carolina.' Gilliam served five years as Madison County manager. He had worked since August 2020 as Marshall town administrator. Gilliam also served on the Madison County Economic Development Board since 2020, including as board chair since 2024. Gilliam referred to his time as Marshall town administrator as "a great experience." "I love Marshall. It's my hometown," Gilliam said. "I've been involved in local government issues since probably some time in high school, going to some town board meetings. I care a lot about the place, and really appreciated the opportunity in the last five years to be involved." Gilliam pointed to water and sewer projects, including the Marshall-Mars Hill N.C. 213 water/sewer infrastructure project, as some of the accomplishments he's most proud of throughout his tenure. "Helping work with a very good board and a very good staff to align priorities and go after some funding and continue progress that's been made, I enjoyed that," Gilliam said. After Helene made landfall in Marshall Sept. 26, Gilliam worked with the town in its short- and long-term rebuild, including working with federal and state officials to determine next steps with the town's damaged and destroyed infrastructure, such as the Marshall wastewater treatment plant. Seeing the town band together the way it did in response to Helene is something Gilliam said he will remember most about his time working for the town. "We saw the best in people, continue to see the best in people, pulling each other along, not looking back and keeping moving, and coming a tremendous way in a quick amount of time through a lot of devastation that I think people didn't see being possible, if you looked at things on Sept. 28 or 29 when you could first get downtown," Gilliam said. "It's meant the world to me. I'm closer to a lot of people in town. I'll never forget that. I think all of us feel that bond with people. I think it was region-wide, but we particularly saw it in Marshall." Gilliam acknowledged that there would be a lot of work ahead for Marshall, but said he feels the town is in good shape, despite the long road ahead. "There's a good board, a good public works staff, a good office staff, a good police force and others, who will be able to carry Marshall through the remainder of that recovery," Gilliam said. Moving forward, Gilliam will get to continue to work with WNC towns, including Marshall, in their Helene rebuilds. "You can't really talk about coming into this position without thinking about what it was like in Marshall," Gilliam said. "Having the on-the-ground experience, and seeing the level of devastation, and then the level of bipartisan support we received in outreach in the early days." According to Gilliam, then-Attorney General Stein visited Marshall within 10 days of Helene's devastation in Madison County. "Some of his first actions were to set up the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, and do some other actions to really focus the effort on getting this recovery right for North Carolina," Gilliam said. "Watching that, as somebody just working in Marshall, I thought that was very refreshing." Gilliam said Stein's efforts, including bipartisan work to secure funding for the region "all connected" and made the NC GROW legislative director position an interesting one. This will not be Gilliam's first time working with the state government. In 1998, as a 12-year-old, Gilliam wrote letters to members of the state legislature to help secure funding for the Marshall library. "They were doing a fundraiser on the island, and I reached out to every candidate on both sides of the aisle for state legislature - it was a total of eight people for four seats at the time - and I invited them to come to the fundraising event," Gilliam said. "Of the eight, one responded and attended, and that was Steve Metcalf. I took him down there and showed him the library, and he got elected that year, and during his orientation he let it be known that we needed a library." At the time, the main branch sat on South Main Street, inside what is now home to the Madison County Arts Council. Gilliam's work helped lead to a $300,000 appropriation from Metcalf and his staff, before he even assumed the office, for the county library system. "I've never had it be so easy since then," Gilliam joked. "But I really appreciate what he did. It was good for Madison County, but also it encouraged me to know that being active can lead to good things for your community. That and other things kept me involved with things." It was around that time that Gilliam knew he wanted to be involved in local and state politics and policy. He recalls his first visit to opening day in the North Carolina General Assembly in January 1999, where Metcalf and others were sworn in. Metcalf and others took Gilliam under their wing. Then, in 2002, when Ray Rapp was elected to serve as a state representative, Rapp became a big influence on Gilliam, with Gilliam working for Rapp as a legislative assistant after graduating from Appalachian State University, where he where he served as student body president his junior and senior years. In an email to The News-Record & Sentinel, Rapp called Gilliam "one of the finest public servants in North Carolina," and said he met Gilliam after he visited his office while a student at Madison High School asking to work on his campaign for the N.C. House District 118. "He was amazing in how quickly he picked up on the dynamics of running a campaign and the importance of the public policy issues that were being discussed," Rapp said. "I was thrilled to have Forrest come to work as my legislative assistant and appreciated the way he conducted himself with constituents, legislators, legislative staff members and the general public." Gilliam went on to serve as campaign manager for two other House candidates after graduating from college. From there, he went on to serve as a legislative liaison with Gov. Beverly Perdue, who served as governor from 2009-13. Rapp said Gilliam's grasp of complex legislative issues and his effectiveness as a communicator have made him a well-respected figure throughout state government. "Western North Carolina residents need to know how well known and respected Forrest is in Raleigh and how dedicated he is to serving the citizens of this region," Rapp said. Gilliam's last day in Marshall was June 16. His first day with the Governor's Office was June 18. Gilliam said "it was hard" to not be a part of Marshall's rebuild anymore, but said he's looking forward to the opportunity to help WNC communities with the Governor's Office. "I know I'll be helping communities like Marshall now, but I enjoyed being in the middle of it. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed that opportunity. It's not going to be easy, but the people are there to continue to lead the recovery in a strong way," he said. "I know the governor's committed, and others are committed, to making sure that the funding is there, and that the programs that are funded are working as designed to get people the support they need." While he's eager to continue jumping into the work in Raleigh, he said he is grateful for his time in Marshall, and that he's optimistic for the town's future, despite its hard work ahead. "I think that the people who care about Marshall have brought it this far," Gilliam said. "They will be able to access the forms of funding that are coming in now, and will continue to come in over the next several years for recovery. But the vision, and the know-how and the work, all that work ethic is there. I feel good about where Marshall's going to be." More: EPA, state officials visit Marshall sewer plant again. Will it move? More: 20 years in the making: Project connecting Marshall, Mars Hill infrastructure breaks ground More: Gilliam to step down as county manager Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ex-Madison County NC administrator starts role with Gov. Stein's office
Observer
06-07-2025
- Observer
MoHT plans to develop Al Jabal Al Sharqi site
MUSCAT: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) reiterated in a statement its keenness to address appeals and calls to improve and expand services in Al Jabal Al Sharqi in the Wilayat of Al Hamra, as part of its ongoing efforts to upgrade key tourism sites across the Sultanate of Oman. In coordination with the Governor's Office of Al Dakhiliyah Governorate and relevant authorities, the ministry confirmed that the Governorate recently floated a tender for the construction of Al Jabal Al Sharqi Oasis project. The initiative, which was announced in April this year, will help enhance basic public services in the area in line with the ministry's tourism development strategies. The ministry also stated that efforts are underway in collaboration with the Governorate to implement elements of the 11th Five-Year Development Plan. These include comprehensive service frameworks aimed at meeting the needs of major tourist sites and landmarks across the governorate, in parallel with the ministry's broader tourism development agenda. The ministry stressed its commitment to transforming Al Jabal Al Sharqi into a high-quality tourism destination with integrated tourism elements, while ensuring a delicate balance between tourism growth, environmental sustainability and preservation of the area's natural features. It also underlined the need for relevant stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of agreed-upon development projects, and noted that it would take the necessary legal steps, including land reclamation measures for investment plots that remain undeveloped or have failed to meet the intended development projects.
Observer
06-07-2025
- Observer
Ministry affirms plans to develop al Jabal al Sharqi site in al Hamra
Muscat: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) reiterated in a statement its keenness to address appeals and calls to improve and expand services in al Jabal al Sharqi in the Wilayat of Al Hamra, as part of its ongoing efforts to upgrade key tourism sites across the Sultanate of Oman. In coordination with the Governor's Office of al Dakhiliyah Governorate and relevant authorities, the ministry confirmed that the Governorate recently floated a tender for the construction of the al Jabal al Sharqi Oasis project. The initiative, which was announced in April this year, will help enhance basic public services in the area in line with the Ministry's tourism development strategies. The ministry also stated that efforts are underway in collaboration with the Governorate to implement elements of the 11th Five-Year Development Plan. These include comprehensive service frameworks aimed at meeting the needs of major tourist sites and landmarks across the governorate, in parallel with the ministry's broader tourism development agenda. The ministry stressed its commitment to transforming al Jabal al Sharqi into a high-quality tourism destination with integrated tourism elements, while ensuring a delicate balance between tourism growth, environmental sustainability, and preservation of the area's natural features. It also underlined the need for relevant stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of agreed-upon development projects, and noted that it would take the necessary legal steps, including land reclamation measures for investment plots that remain undeveloped or have failed to meet the intended development projects.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Time of India
Gang steals gold, cash from ‘Police House', sets it on fire
Howrah: Three thieves broke into a police officers' house at Munshirhat in Jagatballavpur, Howrah, around Sunday midnight and made away with gold and cash, collectively worth around Rs 3 lakh. No one was at home at the time of the incident. According to the complaint, the accused, while escaping, sprinkled around kerosene, which they found stored in the house, and struck a match to it. As a fire broke out, the fridge, TV, bed, sofa and important documents were destroyed. A source said four from the family living in the house were currently employed in the police force. The members are Shubhashis Kotal, a security guard at the Governor's Office in Kolkata, Parimal Kotal, a constable at Goghat PS in Hooghly, Sajal Kotal, a constable at the Bajbaj Police Outpost and their younger brother, Ujjal Kotal, a constable in Udaynarayanpur, Howrah. The house has locally come to be known as 'Police House'. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata An officer from the Howrah Rural Police said they were checking CCTV footage of the house to identify the accused.
