The online complaint registration on the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) e-governance website lies unused since February 9, 2003. Other than a few stray cases in the monsoon section the citizens there do not think its a popular method of ensuring that their complaints are followed up.
On a closer observation what was revealed is that there happens to be no two way communication inbuilt into the system so as to ensure that the complaint is redressed. The second reason for its seeming failure is that the officers or engineers or health officers who are supposed to address a specific civic problem in the issue are not made accountable in the online complaint system.
However, an alternative complaint redressal system called Jansuvidha which is exclusively avaliable to the New West Zone residents has facility for automatic complaint redressal. The system was introduced in August last year. A simple call on a toll-free number regarding any civic problem in your area will make the concerned engineers and officers in your municipal zonal office more sensitive and responsive towards the citizenry.
The unique software used herein automatically shoots off SMSes to concerned area engineer and the contractor who is responsible for problematic water supply, drains, roads or garbage collection. If the complaint is not redressed within a fixed number of hours, the unique software would shoot off SMSes to officers above the local engineer and finally even to the zonal deputy municipal commissioner and further to the municipal commissioner. The citizen can start off the entire process again if the complaint is not addressed properly and call up the call centre.
