Dahisar residents and BMC officials join hands, create WhatsApp group to address civic woes

The residents of Dahisar have found a smarter way of getting their civic issues resolved by leveraging something most of us use everyday – WhatsApp.

The members of Dahisar’s Local Area Citizens’ Committee (LACC) have created a WhatsApp group wherein they post complaints about any civic irregularities in the area. What’s more, the group includes officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) who are more than willing to tend to the complaints.

The group was created with the intention of using a single platform for communication pertaining to all civic grievances. The group has members from half a dozen NGOs, over 50 residents from the area and the relevant R-North ward officials.

The LACC conducts meetings every fortnight, where members discuss both ongoing and future concerns. The presence of members from the civic body also helps them take a stock of the situation and maintain accountability.

According to a member of the group, “Both citizens and the BMC officials work as one team. We post pictures of potholes, fallen trees, missing manhole covers etc along with their location in the group and someone from the civic body takes ownership of the issue. If the concerned person is not available, they forward it to someone who can help. It has been working very effectively till now and we are hoping that it continues like this going forward.”

The advantage isn’t one sided though. Even the civic body has benefitted from the group as it helps them identify and fix issues quickly. Moreover, the constant feedback from the citizens helps them understand and address their grievances better.

The initiative has also helped the BMC cut down on excess paperwork.