Friday, Jul 10, 2015
Dubai: Dubai Municipality’s Al Manara Centre, home to nine different Dubai government departments, plans to add three more departments for the convenience of residents, a senior official said.
Ameenah Al Arif, head of Al Manara Centre, said the inclusion of the Department of Economic Development, Dubai Civil Defence and Public Notary is under process.
The popular centre already added Ministry of Foreign Affairs service counters earlier this year.
The popular one-stop-shop for various government services currently attracts 2,000 people a day. Located in Al Safa area along Shaikh Zayed Road, opposite Noor Bank Metro Station, the centre opened in April 2011. Back then, only 100 people were served per day.
Today, the centre is especially popular with residents on the Bur Dubai and New Dubai side of town, as it offers them a convenient location with free and paid parking options.
Ameenah said Al Manara is in a league of its own as no other government services centre offers access to so many different departments under one roof. Apart from government departments, there are also more than a dozen private businesses that offer related services and support, such as documents typing, eye testing for driver’s licence, travel agents for arranging tickets of employees or maids, etc.
She added that the success of the Al Manara model has contributed to a plan to establish a similar — but bigger — centre in Al Kifaf area by the end of this year. The centre will see representation from the same government entities as those in Al Manara in addition to more municipality departments.
“The new building will be an umbrella centre for all major municipality departments under one roof, plus the other departments sharing the services together. Instead of going to different centres, you will be only going to different counters in the same building.
“This concept is in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum [Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai] to provide the best services to people in the best possible way.”
Al Manara centre also has the latest queuing and token system in place to ensure a hassle-free experience for customers, Ameenah said. There is also a children’s corner besides a cafeteria, washrooms and prayer rooms at the centre.
In 2014, Al Manara was named the best municipality service centre and also achieved a 100 per cent customer satisfaction rating based on a mystery shopper project.
Apart from Al Manara, a similar multi-government department centre is managed by the municipality in Al Twar area, but it only has six departments.
“I love going to Al Manara centre for my transaction needs, which are mostly related to visa services. It is open late and I can go there after work if I like. While there, I can take care of so many other errands, mostly regarding the RTA [Roads and Transport Authority],” said Kalpesh Svapiwala, a regular customer from India.
By Faisal Masudi Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
