RTA chief, Indian envoy discuss cooperation

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), recently received at his office Indian ambassador M.K. Lokesh in the context of RTA’s objectives to build and foster the existing cooperative relations at the local, regional and international levels. The meeting was attended by Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector, along with several RTA directors. Al Tayer welcomed the Indian Ambassador and commended the excellent relationships between the UAE and India, particularly in the business and tourist fields; which have yielded an increase in the volume of commercial exchange and number of tourists traveling between the two friendly countries. The two parties then engaged in discussions aimed at giving a further boost to the existing cooperation, and sharing expertise between the RTA and its counterparts in India as well as the Indian firms operating in rail, roads and transportation sectors. They also touched on future road and infrastructure projects contemplated in Dubai. Mattar Al Tayer also briefed India’s top diplomat in the UAE on the key projects currently undertaken by the RTA with a view to upgrading the infrastructure in terms of road networks and various types of transit means such as the Metro, public buses, water transport, taxis... etc to cater to the rising growth in population, projects and urbanisation. The two parties also reviewed the partnership models with the private sector in constructing future projects in the fields of roads (including bridges, tunnels and crossings) and various transit systems. At the end of the meeting, the Indian ambassador hailed the extensive development seen by Dubai, rendering it a hub for investors, business leaders and tourists, adding that his country was aspiring for boosting cooperation and exchanging expertise with the RTA, especially in mass transit projects as the Indian Government was undertaking a wide-ranging network of railways in different Indian states.