Need to pay the electricity bill or to decide where to go out for dinner? Irked by the garbage on your street and need to post a complaint? The questions might be different but solutions to these questions are just a click away.
Be it complete online transactions regarding payment of bills, submitting applications or taking to social media for common causes and interests, people in the city have taken to the web world with élan.
With the most important transactions having an online option, many internet browsing centres in the city have begun to offer services related to Aadhar cards, payment of electricity bills and applications for voter identity cards and passports.
“People just have to bring the residence and address proof or the required document and we help them register and navigate through the procedures online,” says S. Senthil Kumar, who runs the Global Web browsing centre on Nethaji Road
“Many people who visit us on a daily basis prefer the online method as opposed to standing in long queues and having to wait for the payment of bills and form submission,” he explains.
T. Kalyani, a resident of Palanganatham, echoes his point. “I have been paying my electricity bill online for the last 3 months and other than net centres, a few banks where we have accounts are offering the online facility to pay the bill as well,” she says.
“With more and more people joining social media to know more about their city, I thought it would be useful to create a page about the best places to eat” says Software engineer Heman Babu who started the ‘Madurai Food Guide’ page which has over 6,000 members.
“While I keep sharing information about interesting places to eat at, people too have responded with their own suggestions. A forum like this has not only benefited the locals, but tourists who are looking to visit the city as well,” he says.
The last few months have seen the coming together of many people through Facebook pages relating to the city to fight for common causes and interests.
The most popular page on Facebook related to the city, ‘Veeram Velanja Madurai’, offers insight into the history, places to visit, food and interesting facts about the city in Tamil.
The ‘Namma Madurai’ page on Facebook has spawned off movements to restore the water bodies in the city and has brought people together for various environmental causes as well.
“We are constantly connected to the web world through our phones or our laptops,” said V. Saranya, a college student from the city.
“For someone who has lived in the city for the last 10 years, the exchange of information and ideas through the city’s online presence has offered new insights” she concludes.
