The ministry has stopped using halogen gas for the production of water and power because of its negative effect on the ozone layer.

The measure is part of the ministry's environment protection policies that call for limiting pollution by power stations.

"We are keen to ensure the safety of our workers and the public, by adopting the best environmental-friendly policies," the Director of Industrial Safety, Abdullah Al Huwihi, said.

He said that the ministry was cooperating with the bodies concerned to implement the best safety and environmental measures.

"We are dealing directly with environmentalists from various organisations to design strategies to prevent environmental hazards inside and around our power stations," he said.

New tenders

MUSCAT — New tenders worth RO50 million have been awarded by the government, including a RO4 million project to supply medicines and surgical material to the Health Ministry.

Other contracts given away included the Yanqul-Fada-Dhank road (RO8.8 million), supply of chemicals to the Sohar refinery (RO2.3 million) and supply of equipment and programmes to promote the GSM network efficiency in Muscat governorate (RO2.3 million). The contracts were awarded at a meeting of the Tender Board here on Monday.

The board opened bids for five projects to establish basic education schools in the various regions and wilayats of the country.

Internet users

MUSCAT — The number of Internet subscribers in Oman grew by 4.3 per cent to reach 50,755 at the end of June from 50,491 a year earlier, according to official statistics.

Mobile phone customers totalled 246,700, down 4.1 per cent, despite a rise of 20.7 per cent in the count of the 'Hayyak' pre-paid subscribers of Oman Mobile from 655,328 to 662,491. Fixed phone lines in the country numbered 236,796, compared to 239,262 a year before.