Mumbai: Encroachment in your area? You can complain online

Planned on the lines of its pothole-tracking system, citizens can take and upload photographs or videos of illegal constructions in buildings, floor space index violations and encroachments on roads, footpaths and open spaces on to the system.

From next month, citizens can complain about encroachments online.

Planned on the lines of its pothole-tracking system, citizens can take and upload photographs or videos of illegal constructions in buildings, floor space index violations and encroachments on roads, footpaths and open spaces on to the system. After uploading the evidence, citizens will be given a complaint number that can be used to track the status of the action being taken by the civic body.

The system, which is aimed at curbing illegal constructions in Mumbai and bringing corrupt officials and other parties under the scanner, will be launched by the second week of April.

Along with the complaints, the website will also include the details of the detection of irregularities, right up to the recovery of demolition charges. The deadline for the project, which will be carried out on a pilot basis in zone 1, covering Colaba to Byculla, is March 30.

The estimated cost of the development and maintenance of the software is around Rs66 lakh. The software developer will train the civic engineers on the working of the system.

An official involved in the development of the software said, “The technical glitches that we come across during the functioning of the software in zone 1 will be fixed, after which the system will be launched across the city’s 24 wards.”

VP Mote, assistant municipal commissioner, encroachment removal, said, “The timeline and status of each case will be uploaded, including the details such as the number of complaints on each case and the petitions filed in court. Currently, the feasibility is being checked internally. There will be continuous follow up on the complaints by the ward offices.”