A pilot streamlined Standard of Procedures (SOP’s) for the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) to ensure ease of doing business, was launched at the Savusavu Town Council office this morning. (02.09.23).
A part of this is a new digital tracking system for building applications that are lodged with the municipals councils, and could be followed up by the DTCP for timeline adherence.
With this, the Department’s operating Manual and Checklist was also launched, which offers applicants a step-by-step roadmap through the entire application process.
This initiative would be trialled for three months in three municipals councils including Savusavu, Lautoka and Suva.
The Minister for Housing and Local Government Hon. Maciu Nalumisa while officiating at the launch said this marked a pivotal moment in Government’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the ease of doing business in Fiji.
He explained that this tool was not merely about streamlining the application process; but also to equip relevant authorities in serving people better.
Minister Nalumisa said that with this, Government is taking a monumental stride towards transparency and accountability with the introduction of a simple yet powerful online tool.
“It empowers us to track and monitor applications right from their inception. When you submit an application to the Councils, there will be no secrecy, we will have all the pertinent information on a shared platform,” he said.
Quoting a recent report by the World Bank that ranked Fiji 102nd in the World when it comes to ease of doing business, he said this initiative would hopefully improve this.