While pothole tracking app will take at least another week to be launched, civic chief engineer says another app they currently operate shows only 100 unresolved complaints
There are more potholes than road on this stretch near Bandra station on the west. Pic/ Bipin Kokate
Following mid-day's report about the delay in launching the pothole tracking system, BMC Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi on Wednesday instructed the roads department to ensure that the app is ready for public use at the earliest. Meanwhile, the civic body also claimed that there were just 100 potholes across the city that are yet to be filled. Citizens taking the roads daily may have a different story to tell though.
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According to complaints received through another app called the 24X7 mobile application - a forum for citizens to register general civic complaints, from June 10, 2019 to July 9, 2019, 1,070 road-related complaints were received. The roads department claimed to have disposed off more than 90 per cent - 964 - of these complaints, said chief engineer S Nadgowda.
Will be ready in a week
mid-day's report on July 9
Apart from the app for pothole tracking, complaints can be made on the BMC's official website and the 1916 helpline. For more detailed and targeted action on pothole-related grievances, the roads department has asked contractors to develop this pothole tracking system, called the Voice of Citizens.
Over the delay in launching the app, sources said that authorities have been fearing the number of potholes that will be reported on it. BMC authorities had last month announced that the system would go online by June but there are no signs of it halfway through July.
Civic officials said that a working desktop version of Voice of Citizens is already available but is not very user-friendly. Hence, a mobile version of the app is being prepared. "It will be ready in a week's time. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern suburbs) has chaired two meetings with the contractors in this regard," said an official from the roads department.
Inputs by Arita Sarkar
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