UAE | General
Sharjah parks website gets massive response
1,000 residents a day posting suggestions and complaints about recreational facilities, says municipality official
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:28 April 18, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
- Children enjoying themselves at Al Jazeera Park in Sharjah.
Sharjah: A considerable number of residents have chosen a new method to keep the municipality informed about problems occurring in nearby parks by posting complaints on a website.
"Since the website was launched two months ago we have had a strong response from residents.
"Sometimes there are more than 1,000 people a day who have posted their suggestions and who are involved in group discussions," said Ali Al Mutawa' Head of the Parks and Horticulture Section at Sharjah Municipality.
The Arabic-based website was initiated by Sharjah Municipality as part of its move to maintain residential parks as a safe environment for families after several incidents of vandalism were lodged.
It was previously reported that watchmen in several parks had difficulty keeping teenage boys out. Many of the teenagers broke fences, leaving broken glass bottles on the football field and littering rubbish on the paths.
In May 2006, the municipality issued special park identification cards giving families access to their neighbourhood park, in order to prevent bachelors from entering.
To apply for the free subscription cards, residents have to submit to the municipality a copy of their tenancy contract to prove they are residents of the area. Members who misuse the subscription card will face a fine of Dh500. The cards will be valid for a year. According to Al Mutawa', there are currently 47 parks in Sharjah and 11 more are under construction.
The announcement of the website's popularity was made on the sidelines yesterday when Sharjah Municipality announced new development plans and the expansion of residential parks.
"Part of the development plan is to provide awareness about the environment and its importance in society, and to organise a large number of activities for children," said Dr Salah Al Haj, Director-General of Sharjah Municipality.
The new campaign is expected to be launched on May 1 under the slogan "My park is My Friend," and will be conducted in all residential and public parks, including Abu Shagara, Samnan and Al Nasseriya.
Web address
To participate in discussions on Sharjah Municipality's website and lodge complaints, residents can log on to www.shjpark.com.
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