Residents urge GCC to hold open house meets

Pointing out the importance of direct interaction between residents and civic officials, a residents’ welfare association urged the Greater Chennai Corporation to hold open house meetings once in a month.

In a representation to the Corporation Commissioner, T Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said “Like the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, which conducts open house meetings once in every month providing an opportunity to the general public to meet the officials and present the problems, the Greater Chennai Corporation, too, must organise open house meetings at its various divisional offices once every month.”

The association requested that besides the zonal heads, officials from various departments also must attend the meetings. “Such meetings will help the public pour out their grievances on a variety of issues like garbage clearance, storm water drain, road re-laying, encroachment, health and sanitation, construction of buildings in violation of rules, property tax and others,” the representation added.

The association opined that such an interaction was necessary in view of the mounting problems the people face every passing day.

Motilal Street Residents’ Welfare Association, another association based in T Nagar, had recently complained that local officials tend to close complaints raised online and through Namma Chennai App, without actually resolving the issues.

When asked, a senior Corporation official said that the complaints received online and through Namma Chennai App were tracked randomly by a team. “Every day, calls are made to complainants randomly to check whether the complaint is resolved or not. In case any official closed complaint without rectifying, action will be taken,” he added.