PMC to establish e-enabled facilitation centers

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) would establish 14 e-enabled citizen facilitation centers in 14 ward offices of the city soon. Citizens can obtain
NOC, birth certificates and other Government-related certificates from these centers.
Ahmedabad-based Microtech Systems has developed the software for the centers.

All that citizens are required to do is to visit one of these centers, fill in the application form and attach the relevant documents. The citizens will then receive a receipt with a number and a specific date to visit the office again to check whether the application has been accepted or not. 

The software for each of these services has been specifically designed since documents and information required for each varies. Officials said that the software packages for health licenses are ready. The entire software is expected to be ready in the next two months.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation used 'e-city' (e-governance) as a tool to deliver all its functions to 3.6 million citizens of the city through its 16 city civic centers (e-city centers) located in five zones of the city through Microtech Systems. Founder Director of Microtech Systems, Nalin Patel said that over seven vendors were involved in the Pune project before his company came into the picture. 

However, the past successes tilted the scales in his favor and his company bagged the project. 

While Microtech Systems will develop the software packages, a company based here, Vidya Online, will look after the implementation of the project on a daily basis. The hardware is being supplied by another city-based firm called Priya Business Systems. 

Nalin pegged the total cost of the project at less than Rs 1 crore and said the work on the centers was in full progress and the facilitation centers would start functioning within a few weeks. During the first stage of the project, the company will develop software to take care of property taxes, bill collections, birth dates, licenses and general citizens complaints. The second stage of the project aims at an ambitious attempt to sanction building plan permissions. 

The officials will select four out of the 14 centers for this purpose at a later stage, he said. There are plans to bring in the tendering process also online.

NANDA KASABE

PUNE