Calls to govt helplines go unanswered

CHENNAI: Residents, who tried to reach the complaint cell of both the Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), were left feeling disappointed and angry, as all their calls for help over water-logging, rescue and uprooted trees went unanswered.

However, GCC’s complaint cell was not reachable and people were stranded in flooded areas without help from the government. Most residents in low-lying areas were rescued by volunteers.

The city did not have power and network in many areas for over 3-4 days last week. When residents and volunteers reached out to the complaint cell, nobody answered their calls. Also, the Corporation authorities did not respond to the calls for over a week.

“The number was not reachable. We did not have any other sources to rescue stranded residents in south Chennai. Almost every call to the complaint cell went unanswered till December 7. Thankfully, we had help from many NGOs and volunteers in relief works, and ensured residents stayed in camps. They were also provided essential things until their stay,” recalled Paul Pradeep, a resident of Valasaravakkam.

Residents fumed that the garbage had not been cleared since last week, turning roads into a dumping ground. Since they couldn’t reach the complaint cell, they posted on social media. Still there was no response from the civic body.

“On Dec 5, both the complaint cell 1913 and Corporation app was not reachable. We posted on X platform that the garbage was not removed from Dec 3, and that residents already were stranded in chest-level rainwater. Uncleared garbage worsened the situation. But only on Monday, cleanliness workers removed all that garbage,” lamented J Vishwanath, a volunteer in north Chennai.

People alleged that it wasn’t an accident that the local body workers were unavailable to the public. “They would have to share the number of complaints to the higher authorities. They were not willing to share the actual problem we faced to the government or media during the flood situation,” opined a long-time resident of Velachery.

Similarly, there were posts on X platform (formerly Twitter) regarding the non-functionality of the Corporation helplines. “No sign of rescue in Madipakkam area. Registered many complaints and spoke to the GCC helpline, yet no reduction for two days. Hundreds of families are stranded in five feet of water. No food, no water, no medicines. The government’s apathy towards the people during a natural calamity is disheartening,” stated Santhosh, a resident of Madipakkam.

Volunteers were seen urging others to not share GCC helpline numbers, as “none of the numbers are reachable. Share only if it is from a private volunteer or known person,” Valli Raghu had shared on X.

“The number which is shared by the GCC is not working. Please try to fix this issue ASAP the water is still not drained out in Taramani when we try to call to helpline it not working! Current is also not available,” another tweet by Mohammad Asif.

When contacted, a senior GCC official said, “Additional workers were hired to handle complaints from helpline numbers. We were receiving complaints from residents, activists and volunteers through helpline and social media platforms only. These issues were addressed at the earliest.”

Most complaints received by the GCC and Metro Water board were about water stagnation, contaminated drinking water, uprooted trees and broken branches, and sewage overflow. The GCC has resolved the maximum number of complaints in the last one week.