Tech-savvy VMC redresses grievances online

The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is making its presence felt on social network Facebook and is open to suggestions from netizens on its prestigious Smart City Project and other development initiatives. The civic body’s official page with the motto ‘Service delivery in time with utmost integrity’ was launched on March 1. The page, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5, has evoked a good response.

Speaking to the CityTAB on Friday, VMC Commissioner G Veerapandian said that the VMC realised the fact that social media was an effective tool to enlighten people about its development projects. “We started the page to reach out to the people through cyberspace. People are welcomed to post their grievances on the page to get them redressed at the earliest. At the same time, they can also offer suggestions for infrastructure development in the city and to strengthen civic administration,” he said.

The VMC’s IT wing, which monitors the Facebook page, will alert the heads of departments concerned to look into the civic grievances that are posted. The page with regular updates will also display the action taken reports.

Speaking on the nature of complaints posted by netizens on the page, the Commissioner said, “A majority of them are related to street dog menace, lack of proper drinking water supply, non-clearance of garbage and other such problems. We look into the grievances on a priority basis. In the future, we will come up with more initiatives such as this and make sure that our services are extended to the people through various means.”

By Sistla Dakshina Murthy