T. Nagar e-seva centre has turned into a parking lot, say residents

The centre, supposed to function as a one-stop shop for government services, has not been functioning for several months, residents complain

January 02, 2020 02:51 pm | Updated 02:51 pm IST - CHENNAI

The e-seva centre in Masilamani Street, T. Nagar is now not functioning and serves as a parking lot

The e-seva centre in Masilamani Street, T. Nagar is now not functioning and serves as a parking lot

The e-seva centre at the Chennai Corporation ward office 136, on Masilamani Street in T. Nagar, has turned into a parking lot for two-wheelers.

The centre, launched in 2016, was supposed to be a one-stop shop for getting Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, paying electricity bills, water charges and tax, getting copies of birth and death certificates and also filling online forms for engineering admissions. However, residents complain that centre is no longer functional.

V. Jayaraman of the T. Nagar Residents Welfare Association, said the centre had not been functioning for several months now. “Residents of the area have to now go to different Corporation offices or the thasildar’s office. Even when it was functioning many services were not provided,” he said.

Priya K., a college student, who came to the centre last week to get a voter identification card, was told that the centre had been shut down two months ago as the woman running the centre was on maternity leave. She was told to go to the Kodambakkam zonal office.

On Thursday, an employee at the ward office said the centre had been shut down as the machine did not function. Srinivasan, a resident of Raja Street, said, “I tried to get a copy of my wife’s death certificate some months ago. I went four times but all the time the centre remained locked. Later I had to go to the Saidapet taluka office to get it done.”

When he wanted to update his Aadhaar card last week the officials directed him to the T. Nagar head post office. “I paid ₹50 and got it done there,” he added. It would have been easier to come to the centre as the post office is extremely crowded through the day, he said

The location map of common service centres in Chennai district in the e-service website, however, does not list the street as one of the centres though there is a board outside the corporation ward office. In fact though there are several centres in West Mambalambut none in East Mambalam.

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