Sharjah granted Dh1b to improve infrastructure

Sharjah: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday ordered the allocation of Dh1 billion for infrastructure projects in Sharjah.

The amount is part of Dh7.6 billion allocated in the UAE budget for 2010 to develop new government and infrastructure projects in northern emirates.

Decision hailed

It is still unknown if the allocated amount will be transferred right away or be paid monthly, but public figures and economists in Sharjah hailed the decision by Shaikh Khalifa.

They said it is a true reflection of the spirit of the federation and the unity of the nation.

Sharjah has been suffering from an acute shortage of power that affected the industrial sector in the emirate and prompted the Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) in the emirate to increase the power tariff by between 25 and 50 per cent. The increase came into effect last month.

It became clear that the energy sector was suffering from mounting debts that reached up to Dh7 billion, according to informed sources.

Dr Obaid Saif Obaid Al Hajiri, chairman of the Sharjah Consultative Council, thanked Shaikh Khalifa for his gesture and said that the allocation of such an amount will help the emirate go ahead with its development projects that will help both nationals and expatriates to enjoy prosperity in all parts of the country.

Unity and strength

He said the President's position regarding Sharjah is not unexpected because he is the one who has always stood for unity and the strength of the federation.

"The money will help in bridging the gap between rich emirates and the less privileged ones and will support all citizens, regardless of the emirate they live in," Al Hajiri told Gulf News.