Residents’ association receives reply on complaint after 2 yrs

CHENNAI: Flash Slothmore is one fictional character that we can relate to, considering the pace at which the government departments function when it comes to addressing the complaints from citizens.

But the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has taken it up a notch further and forwarded a complaint to the concerned official two years later. What’s more? The complaint has lost its relevance.

“It was a big surprise to receive a letter from the CMDA on October 27, 2022, informing us of its onward transmission to the Chief Administrative Officer, Market Management Committee, CMDA by the Grievance Officer after more than two years of writing the same,” T Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said.

On May 29, 2020, the association sent a petition to the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), which is an online platform of the central government. The complaint was about the fast spreading of COVID-19 in and around Chennai and the need to take preventive action such as shutting down shops in Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex. The association pointed out that the PMO had forwarded the petition to the CMDA on May 31, 2020, as it was related to a local matter.

A communication was sent to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) by Grievance Officer, who directed the former to furnish information requested in the petition directly. “What’s more surprising is that our petition was not read and understood even by the Grievance Officer. While the petition has become obsolete, we do not know what other surprises we have in store when the CAO finally finds time to reply to the rest of our petitions,” the association remarked.

The Chennai Corporation and CMDA had imposed restrictions in the functioning of Koyambedu Market after the cases steeped.

The petition was about restricting the functioning of Koyambedu market due to the spread of COVID-19 in 2020