MIRI: The Miri City Council (MCC) will continue to deliver quality services to Mirians despite the challenges brought about by Covid-19 pandemic.
Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang said the council had made several improvements on their service delivery in order to meet the high expectations of Mirians.
“Despite the difficult conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to function as best we can. We have made several reforms and changes internally in order to improve the efficiency of our service delivery. This includes establishing an independent Contracts and Procurement Unit to handle all contracts and procurement as previously the respective departments had to handle the matter on their own.
“This unit serves to streamline the efficiency and independence of the tendering process and in time to come, we hope that we will have the database to identify non-performing contractors. This will enable us to blacklist them from participating in MCC’s tendering.
“We have also established the Miri City Inspectorate Unit to assist the council in identifying issues and problems proactively by patrolling and monitoring. We are happy to note that our Mobile MCC Service Team has been very prompt and active in solving ad hoc problems like fallen trees and safety issues like dangerous potholes and so on,” he said during the virtual launch of the 16th Miri City Day anniversary today (May 20).
Yii applauded fellow councillors and council staff on their dedication and cooperation to improve the quality of service delivery to the people.
“Through the relentless efforts by the councillors and council staff, I am happy to note that MCC has made significant improvements in many aspects including grass cutting, drain cleaning and prompt refuse collection services.”
He said the council had provided assistance including waivers and discounts on property assessment rates, licence fees and rentals among others, in line with the numerous financial assistance for the people given by the Sarawak government.
He also thanked Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg for his support and confidence in the city.
“I would like to thank our Chief Minister for the special budget allocation for the construction of the new Miri City Hall which has been a dream for Mirians since 2010. The completion of the new city hall was delayed for six months from its original scheduled completion date on Dec 24, 2020 to June 30, 2021 due to inevitable circumstances from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, I am immensely proud to announce that the project’s magnitude was completed within two years and within budget. The new city hall is undergoing final furnishing and touch ups as we speak,” he said.
Yii noted the city was selected as the pioneer and test bed for the Smart City Proof of Concepts project comprising 10 models.
The 10 models under the project are Miri CARES, Miri Tourism, Smart Traffic lights, Smart Bus, Smart Trucks, Smart Drains, Safe Parks, Safe City, Digital Signage, and eLA 2.
“All of the models have been implemented so they are up and running. We will be seeing further quality transformation of our facilities and services under the Miri Smart City Programme as we are seeking more fund allocation under the council’s current Five-Year Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025,” he said.
He added that the council would focus on environmental issues and implementation of digital governance as well as administration.
“Environmental issues will be the most pressing issues faced by our city similar to any other urban centres. We are considering several new waste management technologies and the importance of educating the public in their waste disposal.
“As for digital governance and administration, we will leverage on the eLA 2 model in Miri Smart City Proof of Concept to digitise information, application submission, payments of fees and charges along with the public’s reports on our services and problems via Miri CARES,” he said.
