DOHA - Residents of Qatar can now get free text message alerts on their mobile phones of any traffic violations they commit and during the expiry of their driving licence, residence permit and vehicle registration. The new service, called Metrash, is offered by the Ministry of Interior and those interested in subscribing to the service have to register through the website: www.moi.gov.qa.
After registration, the service is activated within 24 hours. Residents, to ensure that their privacy is maintained, have to ensure the mobile phone number they wish to use for the facility is registered with Qtel under their own name. The MoI has, however, cautioned potential subscribers that Metrash is purely an informative service and the ministry shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or other losses caused to the recipient on any account. The ministry will also not be liable for any delays in sending a text message to the registered user, informing about a traffic violation or expiry of these important documents.
The service was formally launched yesterday by H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, Minister of State for Interior Affairs, during the opening ceremony of the Milipol Qatar 2006 International Exhibition.
The minister also inaugurated the new-look website of the ministry at www.moi.gov.qa. The new website is available in Arabic and English and consists of several user-friendly features. For companies registered as electronic service users, the website offers the facility to join the mailing list. Through this, the MoI will send an e-mail to the company about their employees whose residence visas for Qatar are nearing expiry.
For companies as well as individuals, the new website offers a visa tracking service where the applicant has to key in the application number, date of filing and the type of visa requested. They can also find the status of a visa, traffic violations if any for a particular vehicle, and request for official documents using the online service.
The website contains links to the Emiri Diwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.
© The Peninsula 2006
