<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Two govt agencies and two contrasting experiences
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THERE was a recent bereavement in my family, and as the funeral wake was to be held in a public carpark, I applied for a permit with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and then the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The process was such that I had to apply for a permit with URA's carpark division and then seek LTA's approval. I saw how proactive and considerate, and how insensitive and inflexible, civil servants could be.
A Madam Lim from URA's carparks division was extremely helpful and understanding. She assisted in expediting my request and even put in a note to indicate that I could pay the rent the next day as the online system did not accept payments for which the rental period had expired. She told me I also had to seek LTA's approval, and gave me a number and a name to contact.
When I called LTA, the officer was extremely nonchalant, and said I had to send a fax with several commitments before I could get the rental approved. When I said I could do so only the next day and I did not have a fax machine at home, he said he could not help me then. He also said there had been complaints by others when that particular rental carpark space was used for previous funeral wakes. It was an extremely frustrating and distressing situation.
I then called URA's Madam Lim again and she sent me the form to submit to LTA in a Word document via e-mail, and I submitted the form in less than 10 minutes.
The same day, I went to URA to pay the rental fees before the counter closed at 5pm and I called first to ask if they could keep the counter open for another 10 minutes. The carpark division officer said she would try her best.
Such a world of difference between the two agencies.
To make matters worse, the same LTA officer called me on Tuesday to chastise me for putting a wrong date in my application form.
I do not expect the world to grieve with me, but government agencies should streamline their processes so citizens do not have to toggle between two agencies, especially during such difficult times. �
Rene Yap (Miss)
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THERE was a recent bereavement in my family, and as the funeral wake was to be held in a public carpark, I applied for a permit with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and then the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The process was such that I had to apply for a permit with URA's carpark division and then seek LTA's approval. I saw how proactive and considerate, and how insensitive and inflexible, civil servants could be.
A Madam Lim from URA's carparks division was extremely helpful and understanding. She assisted in expediting my request and even put in a note to indicate that I could pay the rent the next day as the online system did not accept payments for which the rental period had expired. She told me I also had to seek LTA's approval, and gave me a number and a name to contact.
When I called LTA, the officer was extremely nonchalant, and said I had to send a fax with several commitments before I could get the rental approved. When I said I could do so only the next day and I did not have a fax machine at home, he said he could not help me then. He also said there had been complaints by others when that particular rental carpark space was used for previous funeral wakes. It was an extremely frustrating and distressing situation.
I then called URA's Madam Lim again and she sent me the form to submit to LTA in a Word document via e-mail, and I submitted the form in less than 10 minutes.
The same day, I went to URA to pay the rental fees before the counter closed at 5pm and I called first to ask if they could keep the counter open for another 10 minutes. The carpark division officer said she would try her best.
Such a world of difference between the two agencies.
To make matters worse, the same LTA officer called me on Tuesday to chastise me for putting a wrong date in my application form.
I do not expect the world to grieve with me, but government agencies should streamline their processes so citizens do not have to toggle between two agencies, especially during such difficult times. �
Rene Yap (Miss)
