With the city police becoming active on social media, the district administration is considering a proposal to make civic agencies such as Mysore City Corporation (MCC) and Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) accessible to the general public on Facebook and Twitter.
Though the district administration regularly holds monthly phone-in programmes and has 24/7 helpline for various utilities, Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha said she will study the Police Department’s social media initiative and discuss the possibility of similar platforms for MCC and MUDA.
She said the district administration had extensively used social media during the recent Dasara celebrations by not only having Facebook and Twitter accounts, but also a WhatsApp group.
Kanth Raj, Chief Executive Officer of Dot Angle, which handled the social media initiative of the district administration during the Dasara 2014, said civic agencies like MCC, MUDA and Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation should also be accessible on social media platforms.
“If a drain is blocked, citizens can bring the matter to the notice of the authorities online and get it resolved,” he said and added that electricity-related grievances can also be raised on such platforms.
However, MCC officials said the civic agency, which receives complaints from the general public at its control room, does not have social media savvy staff.
But, Mr. Kanth Raj felt that the civic agencies can handle its social media by having a dedicated staff for the purpose, even though senior officials may be too busy to devote much time for the same.
Social media platforms of civic agencies in Bengaluru are very active because the number of people on Facebook and Twitter in the country’s IT capital is high unlike Mysuru, he said. But, with Internet penetration set to increase in Tier-2 cities, there is no reason why technology should not be used.
Mr. Kanth Raj recalled that many Facebook users did not know how to post their comments on the city police’s Facebook page earlier. “But now, people have started posting their complaints. It will evolve over a period of time,” he said.
Social media for the police is like a double-edged sword. If action is taken swiftly, there is credit. But if expectations are not met, there will be disproportionate criticism
B. Dayananda,City Police Commissioner, Mysuru
We will study the Police Department’s social media initiative and discuss the possibility of having similar platforms for
different civic agencies like MCC
and MUDA
C. Shikha,Deputy Commissioner, Mysuru
