Muscat: Saeed bin Hamdan, an Omani volunteer, was pleasantly surprised and deeply moved when he was awarded the Order of Commendation by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for his supervision of the construction of a road that connects two mountainous villages.
Saeed took it upon himself to bring connectivity to the people residing in the challenging mountainous terrain. Despite facing numerous obstacles, he successfully built a link road that reduced the distance from 200 kilometers to a mere 10 kilometers, and the travel time from 3.5 hours to just 30 minutes.
This road link brought immense relief to the villagers of Halut in the mountainous Niyabat Tiwi of South Al Sharqiyah Governorate and Al Oud in Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid in North Al Sharqiyah Governorate. Ahmed Al Futaisi, former Minister of Transport and Communications, congratulated Saeed, stating, "This well-deserved honor bestowed upon Saeed is a testament to his dedication and financial contributions towards constructing mountain roads that serve the people of remote villages and provide them with a lifeline."
In an interview with Times of Oman, Saeed bin Hamdan expressed his surprise and gratitude upon receiving the award. "Being granted the Royal Commendation Order is a great honor and source of pride for me," he said.
When asked about his other significant initiatives apart from road construction, Saeed mentioned his involvement in the excavation of water wells in the mountainous villages. While one well has already been completed, the rest are still in the process of being dug.
Additionally, Saeed has contributed to the construction of 26 kilometers of shortcut and internal cemented roads in the Tiwi and Sabiyat mountains.
He advised the Omani youth to be diligent and work hard in order to bring about positive change and progress to society and their nation.
