Madurai Corporation has launched a new helpline – 8428425000 – to address complaints and ensure a transparent, time-bound grievance redressal mechanism.
Currently, residents can register their grievances through messaging platforms like Whatsapp and social media platforms like Facebook, email and through a landline number. All the calls made to the new helpline will be recorded automatically. The complainant will receive a message with the details of the Corporation official concerned. The recorded message will also be sent to the official.
The new facility would ensure credibility as a complaint would be marked as ‘rectified’ only after the approval of the official concerned as well as the complainant, said Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan.
After the official records that the complaint has been addressed, an automated call will be made to the complainant. The complainant must also record the grievance as ‘rectified,’ and only then the grievance will be considered redressed. Otherwise, the issue ‘remains unaddressed’.
“Under the old system, there were chances of manipulation in closing a complaint as redressed. This new system ensures transparency and credibility,” Mr. Visakan said.
He said a deadline of three days was fixed for redressing a complaint. “Once a resident calls the helpline to register a complaint, it automatically creates a complaint box, which can be tracked live by the officials,” says a Corporation official. The recorded calls were also encrypted and made safe, the official added.
The launch of the new facility would also help in reducing the workload of the officials, as the whole procedure was earlier recorded manually, the official added.
