Chennai Corporations new tool for better governance: WhatsApp
Posted on: 23/Jun/2016 5:46:04 PM
The Chennai Metro City has explored better ways for city administration.
The answer is the widely used messaging app, WhatsApp.
Now onwards, several city corporations, public works department and metro water staff have to send in their daily reports via WhatsApp.
This covers all types of activities.
So, whether it is cleaners at Marina Beach, sewage workers or conservancy workers, the new policy means that after cleaning up the daily quota of mess, the worker merely has to whip out their phone and click a picture of what they cleaned or fixed and hit send to the supervisors.
The sanitary workers cleaning Marina beach share pictures of removing trash on three-shift basis to corporation supervisors. Similarly, government public relation officers (PRO) in Chennai on an average maintain at least three different groups. The first for the information department, the second for department they are posted to and third to deal with newsmen covering the city.
But who pays for the internet or a snazzy camera phone? So far there seems to be no clear policy to incentivise owning a smartphone with a camera and internet connection. Principal Secretary of the Public Works Department, Mr Prabhakar was busy when Catch News called his office. Perhaps he had to be reached on Whatsapp for more timely response.
