DM adopts single window project for government services

Under this project, a number of counter staff will be trained, qualified and developed to offer a bouquet of services of different Dubai Government departments and establishments at single window.

Asma Mahmood Al Jasmi, Head of DM Karama Centre and Head of Government Services In Single Window Project Team said the project is aimed at simplifying the procedures of offering services by integrating the places and criteria of offering services and reducing the expenses for operating these services.

She said the project team visited 11 government departments in the emirate for this purpose and held discussions with the officials to add their services to the list of services offered within the new project. "Now, it has been decided to offer 61 services of other departments in addition to 37 services that are already available in the Government Services in Single Window Project of the Municipality," said Al Jasmi.

She said the departments that participate in this project include Dubai Courts (9 services), Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (13 services), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (18 services), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (5 services), Civil Defence Department (5 services), Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (11 services) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment (4 services).

Al Jasmi said Dubai Municipality will sign partnership agreements with all departments in order to offer these services. "As far as affiliation of employees are concerned, there are many options such as establishing an independent establishment that can include representatives of all the departments or affiliating them with the Dubai Executive Council or with Dubai Municipality," she said.

Al Jasmi said the technical and administrative requirements for operating this service as well as the level of qualification and the job description of the employee will be defined.

She said after implementing its own single window system in 2004 on an experimental basis the Municipality popularized it in all its service centres. All the counter staffs were qualified to deal with the services of receiving and delivering transactions and answering enquiries, which made it easy for the customer to receive the services as per the single window employee manual that include a list of services with details.

Now the customers can submit their transactions in any of the DM's external centres spread over the emirate of Dubai. It facilitates them to deal with the employee directly and reduce the time spent for getting the transaction accomplished whatever may be the application or section concerned. It also ensures the soundness of the procedures as well as enhances the level of competency in customer service.

Al Jasmi said the success of the idea calls for having coordination with other local departments in the emirate so that it becomes easy for the employee to offer comprehensive service and support to the visitor as a package of services offered by those departments.

The single window system for local department services is expected to be started after activating the unified service centres, which will start with the launching of the work of the first such centre in Al Towar, where all the government department services would be offered under one roof ending the sufferings of the public in running from one office to another spread over different areas of the emirate. This will also reflect the quality of services the government departments are trying to offer in Dubai and also serve their combined objectives.

Al Jasmi said the response of the service departments to the idea of the DM Centres was positive. As regards to the linking of all DM centres and transformation to e-government in offering services, she said: The e-government has paved way for enhancing the process of offering services in an easier, simpler and smoother way. Electronically linking all these departments will definitely make it easier to accomplish the transactions under one roof.

She said the Municipality Centres Department is keen to enhance the performance and apply the principle of constant learning and development of the internal work procedures, which will result in achieving the customers' satisfaction and meeting their expectations.

"This way we also contribute towards achieving the strategy of Dubai Municipality in transforming all its services to electronic and the expected decrease for the necessity for more frontline employees of the Municipality in the customer service centres. Many organizational units have started requesting to transfer their employees to the back desk,"

said Al Jasmi.

She said the Municipality Centres Department wants to extend its role in offering a group or services as a package thereby making a positive impact on the residents of the area.