KUWAIT: The Kuwait Municipality yesterday launched a partnership initiative with the World Bank authorizing the latter monitor the municipality's executive body activities from now on. Following a meeting with the World Bank delegation headed by Kuwait's office manager Dr Feras Ra'ad, Kuwait Municipality Director Ahmad Al-Manfouhi stressed that the Municipality was on the verge of launching a 'revolutionary' reform and development process.

The aim will be to improve work efficiency with the ultimate goal of attracting foreign investments and improve Kuwait's rank in the World Bank's report about Doing Business, especially after Kuwait lost 35 places for various reasons including licensing and protecting investors. "This project aims at putting an end to a long period during which the Municipality was subject to severe criticism," he said, pointing out that the Municipality is Kuwait's oldest government body from which all other ministries and government establishments originated. Manfouhi added that the project involves automating various licenses and issuing them online.

Dr Ra'ad and his accompanying delegation watched a presentation showing how transactions were done before and after automation. "This project dates back to the 1970s," he said, noting that the project involves four elements: the public sector performance, the private sector, human resources development and developing infrastructure.

Pay-related complaints

Acting Director of the Manpower Public Authority Ahmad Al-Moussa issued an administrative decision mandating employers in government contracts' projects to sign affidavits holding them accountable in case any of their laborers filed any pay-related complaints. Moussa added that, with the aim of facilitating transactions, salary certificates issued for those projects employers who are committed to depositing labor salaries to local banks would be now issued with 90 days validity instead of the usual one month validity.

Shadadiya industrial area approved

The Municipal Council's technical affairs committee yesterday approved a project to design, execute and maintain the infrastructure of Shadadiya industrial area. The committee also approved a request made by the Ministry of Power and Water to build a new junction between Qadisiya block four and Maghreb expressway (Highway 40) and deferred discussing a number of topics on the meeting's agenda to further meetings.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi