Chennai: From damaged roads and irregular garbage collection to sewage overflow and water supply disruptions, residents of Tambaram face a multitude of civic challenges daily. Although the Tambaram corporation introduced a mobile application for registering complaints, it remains largely inaccessible due to a lack of awareness among the populace.
Low Adoption of Complaint App
The Tambaram corporation limits are home to over 10 lakh residents. In May of the previous year, the civic body launched the 24x7 Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) along with the Voice of Tambaram (VoT) mobile application, designed to allow residents to lodge complaints. According to an official report, the corporation received more than 13,000 complaints through the app, of which over 12,000 were resolved. The engineering and public health departments accounted for approximately 9,000 and 3,000 complaints, respectively.
However, only 5,000 people have downloaded the app. “Many residents don’t even know that such an application exists. The civic body has not created awareness,” said P G Sethu Madhavan, a member of the Chrompet Residents Welfare Association.
Reliance on WhatsApp Groups
V Santhanam, a senior activist and resident of Chromepet, noted that civic issues are currently being raised primarily through WhatsApp groups, which are known only to a limited number of residents. “Many people are unaware of the app and the groups. Even when complaints are raised, there is often no update on whether the issue has been resolved,” he said.
Sunil Jayaram of Chitlapakkam Rising highlighted that several civic issues involve multiple government departments and require better coordination. “For example, water bodies such as Periya Eri and Rajakilapakkam Lake come under different agencies, including the water resources department and CMDA. If we knew that there was a mobile application, we would have used it,” he said.
Official Response
Responding to the concerns, Tambaram corporation commissioner S Balachander stated that the VoT app remains active and can be used to report issues related to water supply, sewage, streetlights, and roads. “Steps will be taken to create awareness,” he assured.
