Dubai: Dubai Municipality entered into as many as 24 agreements and initiatives in 2016 for enhancing services for the public, a senior official said on Thursday.
Khater Al Nuaimi, director of Customer Relations and Partnerships Department, said among the agreements signed by the municipality were the one on its food charity initiative, ‘Heafz Al Na’amah’, with Al Maktoum Foundation, Red Crescent Society, Tarahum Charity Foundation, Royati Family Association and with hotels Madinat Jumeirah, Al Bustan, Al Murooj Rotana, Armani and Dubai World Trade Centre.
Dubai Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding with Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Fujairah municipalities last year giving these municipalities the right to use its “Makani” app and providing all aspects of support to them in order to use the app, which has received a number of local and international awards for its ease of use and clarity of the concept.
The civic body signed agreements with the Ministry of Finance and National Bank of Abu Dhabi on E-Dirham System to raise revenues for government and non-government agencies, through the use of safer and more modern means of collection for increased use of e-dirham applications.
Under the electronic payment smart service, customers need not come to the municipality headquarters or any of its centres to pay the municipality fees, which will save a lot of time and effort, and contribute effectively in facilitating economic and trade movement.
The municipality also signed an agreement with Emirates NBD for allowing the customers to pay the municipality service charges in flexible interest-free instalments with the payment options ranging from three to 12 months.
The civic body signed a partnership agreement with the Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai to launch a community initiative under the title “Kasib.”
This was out of Dubai Municipality’s keenness on achieving the principle of community partnership in community service, and seeking to participate in building a pioneering Emirati model in the field of social responsibility, said Huda Al Saffar, head of Partnerships Section in the Customer Relations and Partnerships Department.
The initiative aimed to provide sustainable livelihoods to low-income citizens, who have registered with the CDA, by providing investment opportunities for small projects, through which the beneficiaries of the programme are expected to acquire skills that will contribute towards raising their standard of living and self-sufficiency without the need for government aid.
Dubai Municipality also signed an agreement with Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre for the design and manufacture of the first industrial nanometric satellite in the region, DM SAT1, within the Dubai Future Accelerators Programme. The new satellite will monitor, collect and analyse environmental data using space technology and employ it in finding solutions to the challenges of pollution in the cities and climate change.
The Higher Colleges of Technology also signed a cooperation agreement with Dubai Municipality in order to work together on the development of high-quality smart applications, which support the provision of supportive environment to the community and provide quick and innovative services in the commercial, industrial and academic fields, through the Smart Phone Applications Development Centre of the Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah.
Dubai Municipality also signed a joint cooperation agreement within the framework of Hamdan Bin Mohammad Initiative for Community Sports, which aims to motivate members of the community to do exercises consistently, build community sports as a lifestyle for healthy living, show interest for fitness, and enjoy the happiness and positive energy.
