Mumbai’s civic plaints down by 27% in Covid yr: Praja

In the pandemic year, the number of civic complaints from Mumbaiites declined by 27% as compared to 2019, a report by non-government organisation (NGO) Praja has revealed

In the pandemic year, the number of civic complaints from Mumbaiites declined by 27% as compared to 2019, a report by non-government organisation (NGO) Praja has revealed. Civic body officials have declined to comment on the report.

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In 2019, there were 128,145 civic complaints that went down to 93,774 last year. The report added that roads, water supply, drainage and storm water drains were the departments that saw a major slump in the number of complaints. However, despite this decline, the average number of days taken to close a complaint went up from 30 in 2019 to 39 days last year.

According to the NGO, the complaints went down in 2020 as Covid-related activities had to be prioritised, which may also have resulted in the increase in the time taken to address basic civic complaints. The number of closed complaints also fell to 82% in 2020 from 96% in 2019, the report revealed.

According to Praja’s data, complaints related to roads fell by 55%, from 15,239 in 2019 to 6,908 in 2020. The closed complaints pertaining to roads also fell in 2020 to 67% from 95% in 2019, while the average number of days taken to solve these complaints increased to 52 days last year, compared to 31 in 2019.

The number of complaints related to storm water drains also went down to 1,409 in 2020 against 2,155 recorded in 2019. The average number of days taken to resolve each of these complaints went up to 62 days from 34 days in 2019. In the case of solid waste management department, the complaints went down by 32%, but the days needed to resolve one issue went up to 43 days from 2019’s 19.

However, in the pandemic year, plaints related to pest control saw a surge, indicating that citizens were thoughtful about health and hygiene. In 2019, there were 7,501 complaints related to pest control, which shot up to 10,971 last year. Further, the days required to solve issues related to pest control also went up to 26 days from 17 days in 2019. “Ideally, the days taken to resolve the number of complaints should not have gone up as they had declined in 2020. But as the staff was deployed in Covid-19 duties, the days to address the complaints took longer,” said Milind Mhaske, director, Praja.

According to the report, 74% of complainants did not use the Councillor’s Code, a method that would have increased accountability of elected representatives. The report also pointed out to an imbalance in water provided to slum and non-slum areas. It further stated that while the civic body claims achieving 100% door-to-door collection of waste as of 2019-20, the NGO found that 34% of all the solid waste management complaints in 2020 were on non-collection of garbage. The NGO also said that only one out of every four public toilet seats is for women.

Praja also stated that in wake of BMC’s Covid-19 management, three key areas of successes came to light that can be carried forward in the post-pandemic rebuilding to improve the services at ward level. These included decentralisation of various functions at local level for inclusive decision-making, better quality of services and setting up of the war rooms. “BMC should collaborate with various stakeholders to find innovative solutions for city’s growth. This will not only help with the day-to-day services efficiently but also in becoming a future ready city,” said Praja’s founder trustee Nitai Mehta