Qassim Sultan, Director General of the civic body, said the municipality had launched e-Services over different phases taking into consideration the nature of each service and the public's requirement.
"We have been keen on providing the e-Services on a priority basis so that they achieve the objectives as outlined by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, UAE Minister of Defence and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council," he said.
The conference was also attended by Eng. Hussein Nasser Lootah, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Environment and Public Health Affairs and Head of the e-Government Committee at Dubai Municipality, and Eng. Abdullah Al Rafeeu, Director of the Drainage and Irrigation Department.
He noted that the new e-Services would save time, effort and money for the customers of the Drainage and Irrigation Department. "We also offer the customers free training in using the online services of the municipality," he said.
The e-services include fixing the fees for drainage connection for buildings under construction, drainage connection to establishments, de-watering applications for buildings under construction, and renewal of the de-watering applications.
The service for fixing the fees for drainage connection for buildings under construction will enable consultancy firms to know the required fees by sending the necessary documents electronically.
They can follow up the application procedures by logging onto the website with a user name and password. The applicant can also know the locations of drainage networks in the area where the construction is taking place.
An application form must be filled electronically by the applicant in which the proposed built-up area must be specified as well as some other important information, such as the reference number of the No Objection Certificate for the concerned plot.
The application will be sent electronically to the Drainage and Irrigation Department through the municipality website and the consultant can follow up on the application's status.
As for drainage connection to establishments, the application must be submitted electronically after filling up the necessary details. This should be done before three months from the completion of the project.
The municipality will then electronically inform the consultant who is responsible for providing house connections to start procedures for the connection. Afterwards, the consultant will coordinate with the building contractor to inspect the area and present a report to the municipality before the Drainage and Irrigation Department finally approves the application.
All this will be done through an electronic network that links the municipality with the consultant firms. Once the approval is issued, connection works will begin.
The third service, de-watering applications for buildings under construction, is meant for the contracting companies, which face the problem of rising ground water levels at the construction sites. This e-Service can be used if the contractor wants to pump this water out and dispose of it through the storm water network of the department.
De-watering applications could be submitted online along with the route sketch from the construction site to the storm water network. The fee for the work will be fixed electronically based on the number of holes to be made and the purpose of using them for the de-watering operation.
The fourth service, renewal of the de-watering applications, is provided in the case of applications already submitted for de-watering for the buildings under construction and the fee would be fixed electronically.
Abdullah Rafeeu, Director of Drainage and Irrigation Department, said the department started applying a system for changing from manual transactions to electronic in June 2000 with the introduction of issuing no objection certificates electronically.
As of now, the number of certificates issued by the department per month has reached 1,300 and the certificates are issued within 24 hours of receiving the application online.
The classification of the certificates is done electronically in order to simplify the follow up operation and issuance of the certificates by the department's engineers who scrutinise the applications thoroughly before issuing the certificates.
In addition to speeding up the issuance of the no objection certificates, this service also saves the time of the engineers as well as the public. The electronic linking will also help reduce the presence of customers at the municipality building.
The companies that require certificates the next day are able to make use of this e-government service and avoid waiting in the main building of the municipality.
Rafeeu explained that based on the Local Order No. 99 of 1996 issued by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, the fees for drainage connection to the buildings under construction have been fixed.
A fixed rate is being charged on applications for drainage connections for residential buildings and extensions of buildings, whether it is major extension or simple additions. The fee is applicable for all private and public buildings.
The fee is fixed at 50 Fils per square foot of the proposed built-up area of the building. The maximum fee in this case would be Dh200,000 for one building and the minimum fee for each application of the drainage connection of commercial buildings would be Dh10,000 and Dh5,000 for every addition. The minimum fee for drainage connection to residential buildings is Dh1,000.
Quelle: Gulf News
