Ongoing projects to ease problems

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, said that projects currently in progress by the municipality are capable of solving many basic problems facing Dubai, which is witnessing rapid development in many essential areas.

Sheikh Hamdan was speaking yesterday during a press conference at the municipality to review three major municipal projects that are regarded as the most sophisticated and state-of-the-art projects in their respective fields.

He said that Dubai always completes its projects on time because they are implemented in an exemplary way after conducting necessary studies.

He said each project is launched at a suitable time, and that is the reason why the UAE has the highest number of projects in the Middle East.

As regards infrastructure projects, he said they are more or less complete now, but as the emirate expands further there is the need to implement more projects.

Asked about the privatisation of civic projects, he said the time is not ripe for that because it may result in an increase in the cost of civic services.

"Dubai Municipality always plans its projects with utmost care and in a competitive way, sometimes ten years in advance," said Sheikh Hamdan, noting that these projects are always based on a general policy and concerned with the security of the nation.

He added that recent crises that hit the region and the world have not affected the UAE in any way, as the country has been carrying on with its development projects thanks to the wise policies adopted by President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Regarding the slashing of budget allocation for the municipality, he said the civic body is the most important government department, undertaking the general planning for the emirate, and its budget is proportionate to the projects undertaken. Sometimes there may be big projects, and sometimes small, but everything goes together with the progress of the country.

On the continuous expansion process of Dubai in many areas, especially Jebel Ali, Sheikh Hamdan said the expansion and progress are the results of the overall situation.

He said the population increases and so does the construction process, which is why tourism projects are also on the increase. He said that Dubai's population has increased 20 times since 1972, and the growth continues.

Sheikh Hamdan said that these expansions are part of the overall progress witnessed by the country from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi in various fields because the UAE is an attractive tourist destination in the region.

He said the private sector also demands from the country a big expansion in its service and infrastructure projects, such as roads, electricity, and other basic services. Sheikh Hamdan was briefed on the municipality's Street and Plot Numbering Project, the Traffic Systems Control Centre and the Dubai e-Guide.

Explaining the street and plot numbering project, Nasser Ahmed Saeed, Director of the Roads Department at the municipality, said Dubai is divided into nine sectors and each sector into a number of communities. Each community possesses a unique three-digit number and name.

If the number of the community is 376 then it means that the area is located in Sector 3 and its number is 76. Buildings on each street are numbered sequentially - even on the right and odd on the left hand side of the street. Map signs are placed at main entrances to the area and also near schools, mosques and parks within the community.