DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has launched an electronic system to make inspections at eateries, shopping complexes, markets and other commercial outlets faster and more transparent.
Health inspectors in different municipalities started using the new system from yesterday. In the initial phase, the electronic system will be used only by health inspectors but will be expanded to other areas later, the Ministry said yesterday.
The electronic system is expected to save time, efforts and public money and make the job of inspectors easier. Instead of the manual system used until now, inspectors will use iPads to record violations quickly. They can also capture photos of the violations and record witness testimonies if the situations allow.
The electronic system will also make it easier for the erring outlets to know their violations and settle them, in cases in which a reconciliation is possible, without the need for paper correspondence. They can also access data related to the violations that will be recorded and processed electronically.
The inspectors will create electronic records with necessary information about the violation including name of the shop, date, place, time, licence number, name and contact address of the manager/owner.
The record will also include details about the location of the erring outlet such as the building number, street number and zone, which can easily be accessed through the available Geographic Information System (GIS).
When the record is finalized, the inspector needs to sign it, as well the person responsible for the violation if he is available at the time of the inspection. The inspector will then send copies of this record to the violator and head of the inspection sections through email and text messages.
In the second phase, the electronic system will be expanded to other areas including general and technical inspections. The second phase will also include establishing an electronic link between the ministries and government bodies concerned including security and judicial departments, said the Ministry.
For implementation of the first phase, the Ministry has trained health inspectors on theoretical and practical aspects of the system. The trained inspectors will work in collaboration with GIS section and the legal consultant of the ministry.
The ministry in collaboration with the bodies concerned have intensified inspections all over the country resulting in detection of a number of violations. In a move to “name and shame” the erring outlets, the ministry has also started announcing the names of shops and eateries facing closure on its website. The Peninsula
