In an era where several local bodies continue to receive complaints over letters, phone or e-mails, the Oulgaret Municipality is keeping up with new age — accounting for images and complaints sent via WhatsApp messenger about garbage pile-ups. It also vows to act swiftly on complaints.
The Oulgaret Municipality is the largest municipality in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Around 100-odd tractors remove garbage/waste of 120 tons per day generated from three lakh residents living across seven constituencies.
Ever since M.S. Ramesh, Puducherry Civil Services officer, assumed office as Municipal Commissioner recently, he has been exploring several innovative ways to redress grievances of the public. Enthused by the overwhelming responses from public for e-mail complaints, the officer introduced WhatsApp messenger to receive complaints from the public so that public can directly contact him.
Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu , “Though our conservancy tractors collect garbage from residents twice a day, there are still more complaints of not clearing garbage from the residents. Hence we invited complaints on WhatsApp from the public. They post complaints with picture, name, telephone and street name etc. The message makes it easier to assess veracity of the complaint and to pass on instructions to the respective sanitary staff to immediately clear garbage from the area from where the complaint was received.”
The introduction of WhatsApp service has already received good responses from the residents and messages keep flowing — with over 40 responses on day one alone.
The municipality also attends complaints of blockages in the drain as well through the new system.
The municipality receives e-mail complaints throughom.pon@nic.inandcomnrom.pon@nic.in. Now residents who live in Oulgaret Municipality can send their complaints by WhatsApp to 9442131762.
