The Famagusta District Local Government Organization has taken decisions to increase productivity and collect due money, including linking debts to licensing applications and introducing artificial intelligence. As the President of the Famagusta District Local Government Organization, Yiannis Karousos, told CNA, "the Board of Directors of the Organization decided to link debts to the District Local Government Organization with urban planning applications and building permits."
The decision, he continued, provides that the application of a person or company for the issuance of a planning permit for the construction of a residence or tourist complex will not be examined, in the event that any amount is owed to EOA Services, namely water or sewage.
He explained that "when the Agency receives an application for licensing after a relevant check, it will be determined whether a person or company has debts to the EOA. The interested party will then be informed that they have debts in order to settle their debts so that the examination of their application can proceed."
It is not right, Mr. Karousos continued, "for large businessmen to owe money to the EOA, to submit applications for permits to construct buildings and not to settle their debts."
He added that "in December, the Board of Directors of the EOA approved a procedural regulation to initiate this specific decision, with the aim of improving the Organization's collectability. I personally requested that this decision be included in the operating regulations of the EOA, so that the debts of individuals or companies are settled before the licensing application they submit is examined."
In response to a relevant question, Mr. Karousos replied that "in the context of this decision, we sent a letter to the Personal Data Commissioner, informing that we want to publish the list of those who owe large sums of money to the Famagusta EOA. We are also in consultation with the Legal Advisor of the Organization, who deals with personal data issues, on the same issue."
As Yannis Karousos said, he also requested that "relevant legislation be passed so that the list of debtors is published, taking into account that a total of 43 Organizations owe the Famagusta EOA over 10 million euros. Legal measures are time-consuming, but we must do everything possible so that the EOA receives what the debtors owe."
The President of the Famagusta Urban Development Authority called on everyone "before submitting any urban planning or construction application to the Organization, to make sure that they do not owe any amounts for water and sewage."
Another measure aimed at increasing the Organization's productivity, he continued, is "our agreement with a specific company, which will conduct a study per Department and Service along with an implementation plan, for the implementation of artificial intelligence. The goal is for artificial intelligence to enter the DNA of the Organization, for several issues to be automated and for the staff to deal with the necessary, since everyday and routine issues will be done with artificial intelligence."
As Mr. Karousos said, "we expect that in 2 to 3 months we will have the detailed plan per Service and Department, with details, and we will proceed with the appropriate training. We believe that this specific action will help increase the productivity of the Organization, starting from serving the public to the internal operation of the EOA."
In response to a related question, the President of the EOA explained that "the company will tell us in detail how artificial intelligence can be used, from how to respond to e-mails and how to check licensing. It can also be used, among other things, to answer questions from the public, prepare letters and handle office work."
Asked whether the Famagusta Water Authority has proceeded with the replacement of water meters, Yannis Karousos replied that "we submitted an application to Smart Cyprus, which is a service offered by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and CYTA, which offers a series of technology services to the public and wider public sectors. We expect this specific collaboration to be finalized because we want to proceed with the installation of smart meters."
Unfortunately, he continued, “we have been cut off from any sponsorships and we will necessarily proceed with this specific solution and await the relevant decision to be finalized.” “Our goal is for the entire free province of Famagusta to have smart water meters,” he concluded.
Source: KYPE
