From sublimating desires to tying shoelaces, there is advice for everything. Almost everything, for there are certain jobs that will always remain unfinished for want of guidance. Anyone can come up with a list of such tasks. The one prepared by Siva Elango and Senthil Arumugam includes getting a ration card, patta, birth, death, caste and marriage certificates and a driver’s licence. And the duo went ahead and established a call centre to guide people on how to tackle hundreds of such pesky jobs, which look simple at first glance but can end up wearying the most patient of people.
“At government offices, brokers lurk around to exploit people’s ignorance about processes involved in getting these things done. And that is not how things should be. Through the number 7667-100-100, our call centre guides callers through these tasks. The operator tells them where to go, who to meet and how to get the job done. A database of information about government offices cutting across districts and services enable us to offer this expertise. If a government official does not offer any service he is duty-bound to, we teach the victim how to use the RTI provision and get the job done by accepted means,” says Siva.
The duo launched this initiative – called Satta Panchayat Iyakkam (SPI) – in mid-December 2013. “Since the launch, we have had around 19,500 people calling in. Out of this, 3,700 calls were attended,” says Siva, who is president of SPI.
The call centre functions from a rented space in Saidapet with a dedicated staff. “It is run through membership fees, donations and regular contributions by supporters,” says Senthil, SPI’s general secretary.
The core team consists of Senthil and Siva as full-timers and four others, accomplished professionals in their fields of work, who function as advisers.
Efforts at expansion are already afoot. A plan has been chalked out to set up branches across the districts of Tamil Nadu. Representatives would be appointed to these branches by combing through the registered members of SPI.
“Since the launch, around 2000 people have registered online through our website >sattapanchayat.org and another 1,000 have registered with us, meeting us in person. There are applicants from all the thirty-two districts in Tamil Nadu,” says Siva.
SPI is expected to provide its members a understanding of basic law, RTI Act and consumer rights. Representatives at district branches will be equipped to serve the local people who have called in to SPI with their requests
“Some callers from the districts have difficulty understanding instructions over the phone. Such people would be asked to seek assistance from district representatives. As a huge number of calls are from the districts, we are going to get the branches functioning quickly. On January 25, representatives for Kancheepuram, Chennai and Tiruvallur will be selected. On February 1 and 2, it is Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. On February 22 and 23, it is Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and Nilgiris. Those interested in volunteering for SPI can call 8754580274.
