Chennai: The first course of action that concerned citizens do soon after spotting a problem on the road is calling up the official or former Councillors seeking clearance. However, in certain cases the issue does not get resolved and gets repeated, making one call up the authorities time and again.
But what if you need not waste your energy by making a call every single time and just vent your feelings through a text? It saves time and energy and, above all, the complaint gets formally registered in the system and the official would be held accountable if s/he fails to carry out his/her duties.
With this motive, the ‘Namma Chennai’ mobile application was launched by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) two years ago. Unlike forgetting things over time, the grievances are solved in just a click away.
Supplementing the app is the website that solves the civic issues.
People share their experience so far and urge others to register their complaints rather than calling the person-in-charge directly.
“Even before the launch of the app, I regularly raise the complaint on the website. However, the mobile tool has made my job easy. Whenever I register the problem, it gets resolved within a few days and has been effective due to the ‘accountability’ factor. It is the reverse here: we need not call, the officer will call us regarding the problem,” said Jamunarani G, a resident of TNGO Colony, Nanganallur.
Soon after a complaint is lodged, it is taken to the notice of the officer from the zone, updates the user of the status and the request is closed only after fixing it. While the city governance is being shared by GCC, CMWSSB and TANGEDCO, Jamuna feels that we can identify at least the problems that can be fixed by Corporation officials.
Similarly, Srinivasaraghavan R, a resident of SBI Colony, Nanganallur, is another user who files on the website or the app.
Speaking about the response, he said, “The response has been quick, but there is a glitch when we lodge a complaint about the same issue once again.”
He said, “Just a few yards from a private school in Hindu Colony, garbage has been piling up over a year and the local body acts on it only if I file a complaint. I take the issue to the officer’s notice almost every week and I do not see any need for having a bin. Either the waste is dumped near the school entrance or the next street.”