Even though monsoon is yet to intensify in Udupi, complaints have started pouring in on the ‘Udupi Help’ app launched by the district administration here on June 11.
The main objective of the app is that citizens can lodge their complaints along with a photo or a video clip on the problems they face during monsoon. The jurisdiction of this app is limited to Udupi city only. Officials are supposed to attend to problems within six hours. Any complaint not solved in six hours will get resolved in a day.
These normally involve heavy works requiring the use of earthmovers. People can register complaints with regard to blockage of drains, water logging by the side of drains, uprooting of trees, flooding, uprooting or damage to electricity poles, landslips, damage due to lightning and related issues.
So far, 667 persons have downloaded the app and 156 complaints have been received on it. The complaints made on the app are monitored around-the-clock at the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) by a junior engineer, Ashwini Prashanth, who has been appointed as nodal officer.
Further guidance with regard to complaints is done by the IT Nodal Officer, at the District Urban Development Cell (DUDC) here. Most of the complaints have been solved within the six hours, while some problems have been solved even earlier. “In the last three days, we have received more complaints on blockage of drainages and water logging on the roads,” said Harshitha Poojary, Nodal Officer, IT Cell, DUDC.
The app was lauded by Revenue Minister, R.V. Deshpande, who chaired a review meeting here recently, who said that he had instructed other districts to launch similar apps in their areas.