Mumbai: BMC’s action plan to redress complaints against pandals

In another step towards this, the civic body will appoint designated officers to address residents’ complaints against pandals that block the roads or pavements during Ganesh Chaturthi.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is taking every possible step to make sure citizens are not inconvenienced during festivals.

In another step towards this, the civic body will appoint designated officers to address residents’ complaints against pandals that block the roads or pavements during Ganesh Chaturthi.

Following a Bombay high court (HC) directive, the civic body has framed a policy that has been handed over to the 24 wards across the city. As part of the policy on Ganeshotsav, complaint officers (COs) would be appointed in all the wards.

Citizens, who have complaints against mandals blocking roads or pavements and hindering movement, can lodge their complaints with the COs. The civic policy said immediate redressal of complaints will be mandatory and the complaint registers will have to be supervised by assistant commissioners.

This is the first time the BMC will be acting upon complaints received from pedestrians and commuters on the pandals on roads. The COs will be appointed in all ward offices for all the days of the festival to register and act upon the complaints.

The BMC has also made it mandatory for mandals to display phone numbers of assistant commissioners and complaint officers and a toll free number, 1916, for public to register their complaints.

The complaints regarding the noise/sound pollution can be made at ward offices and the policy makes it necessary for the complaint officer to forward it to the competent authorities such as the police and the environment department.

A civic official, requesting anonymity, said, “There was no specific complaints redressal cell so far during the festival season. But now a policy has been designed to have complaint officers in every ward. The officer will be responsible for all complaints received and ensuring they are resolved.”

As per the policy, every pandal should have a plan to control crowd and it should be displayed clearly at their entrance.