As part of its legislative mandate, the Services and Public Utilities Committee of the Shura Council held its seventh meeting of the second annual convening (2024–2025) on Tuesday morning, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Hamoud Ahmed Al-Yahyai, Chairman of the Committee, and attended by Their Excellencies the Committee members.

The meeting focused on reviewing the draft National Geospatial Data and Information Law referred by the government. To enrich its study of the draft, the Committee hosted a group of academic experts in the field of geography from Sultan Qaboos University. This reflects the Council’s commitment to institutional and scientific integration in the legislative process by involving specialists and academic professionals in national decision-making.
During the meeting, the Committee received detailed explanations from the invited academics regarding several technical terms and concepts included in the draft law. An exchange of views followed, focusing on key legal and practical points that could impact the law’s implementation, with the goal of ensuring precise legislative drafting that aligns with national realities and meets the aspirations of citizens.
This session is part of a series of meetings and consultations the Committee plans to conduct in the coming period to ensure a comprehensive study of the draft law. The importance of this law lies in its potential to support planning, development, and infrastructure sectors, while also promoting institutional coordination among relevant government bodies.
In the same meeting, the Committee also discussed its report on the proposal to enhance the quality of telecommunications services in the Sultanate of Oman, in light of ongoing efforts to develop the digital infrastructure and improve service continuity for both citizens and residents.
Additionally, the Committee reviewed the Council of Ministers’ response to its earlier report on the status of housing cities in Oman. The discussion highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the housing sector and stressed the need to distribute housing projects in a way that ensures geographic fairness and accommodates population growth, in alignment with the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of the Committee’s report on the draft air services agreement between the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, specifically regarding the territory of Curaçao, recently referred by the government.