In an effort to resolve the civic woes across the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) launched a mobile application ‘Fix My Street’ on 11 December. The app enables citizens to directly connect with the concerned ward engineers and elected representatives to resolve the problem.
Fixing responsibility for the maintenance of roads and other civic amenities in Bengaluru has been a stumbling block for a long time.
It generally takes a lot of time for a citizen to file a complaint about a civic problem and more importantly to get in touch with the concerned person to track developments. The Fix My Street app will eliminate this hassle.R Sampath Raj, Mayor
The city has been scrambling to fix many civic issues in the recent past like pothole-riddled roads, uncleared litter at street corners and crumbling public infrastructure. The app caters for all kinds of urban infrastructure problems. “All kinds of issues can be filed using the app, including water supply, footpaths and lights. Even if the nature of problem does not fall directly under BBMP’s responsibility, officers will help citizens reach out to the concerned persons at BWSSP, BESCOM or other local bodies,” he said.
How Does the App Work?
The ‘Fix My Street’ application is available both on iOS and Android. To report a civic issue, citizens will have to upload a photograph. The geo mapping feature allows for the exact location to be identified, after which the citizen is connected to the ward official.
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The complainant can file the complaint with or without registration and will get an SMS alert after successful submission.
To resolve the issue, the app provides for the concerned engineer to update the progress along with photographs and further remarks.
Monitoring the Progress of Requests
The application allows for officers and engineers to view requests and update them periodically. Depending on the nature of problem, they also have an option of transferring the complaint to another ward or assistant engineer. Hence, it aims to provide an end-to-end process for addressing civic issues. “A dedicated team of officials have already been appointed to track the progress of resolution. The app also has a dashboard through which the commissioner can monitor the progress of each request to make way for accountability,” said the Mayor.
It has been made imperative for the concerned ward engineers to resolve the issue within specific time periods. Complaints with regard to garbage collection and disposal need to be attended within 24 hours, street lights within 48 hours, and potholes in a span of one week.
If officers take more than the prescribed time, they will be held answerable and have to specify the reason for delay. In case they fail to do so, appropriate action will be taken against the concerned person.Commissioner, BBMP, Manjunath Prasad
Will the App Be Effective?
The Delhi government had launched a similar app to resolve the garbage and pollution crisis last year. The 'Swachh Delhi' platform enabled citizens to send snapshots of any activity that caused air pollution. However, the application was ineffective due to some technical errors and bugs associated with it and did not garner the expected response.
Clarity on the functioning and effectiveness of the ‘Fix My Street’ app will come only in the coming weeks. However, the local body is optimistic about redressing the grievances of citizens. “I am sure the app will be flooded with complaints. Many of the civic issues will stand resolved over the next one month. We will add more features or introduce additional apps in future if required,” said R Sampath Raj, Mayor.
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