The Telangana Civil Supplies department has established a ‘WhatsApp Centre’ at its headquarters here, to handle the grievances of the public and other stakeholders such as farmers, millers, warehouse owners, transporters and fair price shop dealers.
Those intending to lodge a complaint may send it through the ‘WhatsApp’ application to the number ‘7330774444’, along with images, audio or video clippings. Complaints may be about corrupt practices of officials, FP shops closed during regular hours, shortage of ration, diversion of commodities, injustice to farmers or regarding e-PoS machines at the FP shops.
The complaint will be received by the control room at the headquarters, and forwarded to the official concerned. Response about the action taken will be immediately and then forwarded to the complainant through ‘WhatsApp’.
The ‘WhatsApp Control Room’ was launched by the Secretary, Information Technology, Jayesh Ranjan here on Friday, along with the project of installation of CCTV cameras in 171 Mandal Level Stockist Points (MLSPs).
The control room will be monitored by three members 24X7.
A total of 1715 high definition cameras will be fixed at the MLSPs, after the successful results of installing them in nine warehouses in Greater Hyderabad.
The video wall facility where the movement of trucks can be observed live, will be extended to the Joint Collectors’ offices in the State soon, Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand said.
The department had launched the command control centre in order to prevent diversion of PDS rice in two stages, between the buffer godowns and MLSPs and from MLSPs to the fair price shops, respectively.
Whenever the vehicles go off from the authorised route, online alerts would be generated and the erring persons could be brought to book.
Speaking on the occasion, Jayesh Ranjan said, the State has been in the forefront in the use of information technology since the separate State was formed.
