Browsing the web for the contact number or location of a government office while on the road can leave one frustrated.
The search engine may throw up a wrong or even non-existent number and the location of the office on the online map may not be accurate. This dilemma stands addressed to a great extent thanks to the “Ente Jilla” mobile app developed and rolled out by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in August.
The app facilitates easy access of the contact number, location, and e-mail address of every government office in the State. One can choose the district, and the app seamlessly guides through various government offices department-wise. On selecting the office, one can make a call, locate it on the map, write a review or send an email, all from the same interface. The services available from each office is also listed alongside.
“The app has listed all 1,250 government offices in Ernakulam district. The app is estimated to have been downloaded by thousands, going by the conservative estimate of at least one officer from all the offices using the app, coupled with the downloads by the public. We are also receiving on an average 300-400 reviews on the app daily,” said George Eapen, assistant district informatics officer, NIC, Ernakulam.
Not all reviews are on glowing terms, though. There have been instances where people have complained about a number not working or the app even providing a wrong number. In such cases, NIC immediately corrects the contact information in consultation with the office concerned.
Critical reviews about the non-responsiveness or the negative attitude of officers are also aplenty. “The reviews are daily monitored by a team led by an assistant collector. The officers concerned are contacted and asked to make amends based on these critical reviews. Steps are taken to ensure that no complaint is repeated again,” said Mr. Eapen. The ratings and reviews about every office by the citizens are open to the public.
Though users of the app can write reviews, as of now they can submit their grievances officially only to the collector. However, there is scope for co-opting the service for submitting grievances to individual officers as and when needed.
