Delhi government plans umbrella app for civic problems

The new system will allow cases to be monitored directly by senior officials, including the chief minister’s office, cabinet ministers, MLAs, and the chief secretary.

The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved the launch of a single integrated grievance redressal system as the ‘Delhi Mitra App’, which will serve as a common platform for complaints related to all city agencies, including the Delhi government, Delhi Police, municipal corporations, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, and other bodies, senior officials said.

CM Gupta said the aim was to resolve issues in a “simple, convenient, and timely” manner. (Hindustan Times)

The new system, cleared at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, will be rolled out within the next two months. The government said the existing Public Grievance Monitoring System (PGMS) will be merged into the new platform, ensuring that all mechanisms for complaint registration and redressal are brought under one system. Importantly, the new system will allow cases to be monitored directly by senior officials, including the chief minister’s office, cabinet ministers, MLAs, and the chief secretary.

CM Gupta said the aim was to resolve issues in a “simple, convenient, and timely” manner.

“The digitisation of grievance redressal will allow monitoring at every stage, with senior officials tracking each case until resolution. Our administration is seeking not just paperwork but genuine solutions. Citizens will now be able to lodge grievances through four easy channels under this single online window,” she said.

Common channel

Under the new redressal system, four channels will be available to complainants: a web portal, a mobile application (on iOS and Android), WhatsApp, and a call centre. Handwritten complaints submitted at offices will also be digitised and uploaded into the platform, a senior official said.

Citizens will be able to log in using mobile OTP verification and will receive SMS alerts at each stage of the process. In addition, all grievance redressal officers will hold in-person meetings with citizens every Wednesday between 10am and 12 noon without prior appointment, to resolve issues directly.

The cabinet also approved a feedback mechanism to ensure accountability. If a citizen is dissatisfied with the resolution and submits negative feedback, the matter will automatically escalate to a higher authority. If dissatisfaction persists, a third level of review will be provided. “A comprehensive feedback loop will be built into every complaint,” an official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

Calling the initiative a reflection of her government’s “citizen-first” philosophy, CM Gupta added: “The Delhi Mitra app is more than a technological measure; it is a step toward making citizens’ lives easier. Every citizen can be confident that their concerns will be heard and addressed promptly.”

Multiple helplines

Currently, Delhi residents face a confusing web of grievance mechanisms. While the Delhi PGMS system serves as an umbrella online platform, most departments and agencies continue to run their own complaint channels.

For example, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) allows complaints through its centralised helpline 155305, WhatsApp number 9643096430, and the MCD 311 mobile app, along with zonal helplines. The Public Works Department (PWD) accepts complaints at toll-free number 1908, landline 011-23490323, and via WhatsApp on 8130188222, as per its flood control order.

Similarly, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) operates the 1916 helpline for sewage-related issues. For NDMC residents, complaints -- particularly during the monsoon -- can be lodged at 1533 or via the NDMC 311 mobile app.

On May 6, the government had announced that a single monsoon-related helpline would be operational through the 311 number. However, the number remained inactive even after the official onset of the monsoon earlier this week.

Experts said the new system is designed to overcome precisely these gaps. By unifying all helplines and portals into one platform, citizens will no longer need to navigate multiple numbers or apps depending on the department.

However, reasidents are doubtful if the portal will actually make a difference in effect.

Ashok Bhasin, head of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation, said that PGMS was also launched with similar promises but in the end these projects become publicity events. “Even within one department, for instance MCD, citizens keep getting tossed from one section to other section. How will all departments come on single window? When we file a complaint, only an acknowledgement mail is received but no further action is taken. I have 27 such pending complaints. The whole system will need a lot of effort for overhaul.”