MCD wants just garbage on Facebook
People Complain About Bad Roads, Illegal Constructions, Encroachments...
Risha Chitlangia TNN January 8, 2011
New Delhi: The genie is out of the bottle and MCD is finding putting it back quite difficult. Perhaps, encouraged by the way Delhi Traffic Police has roped in people to get feedback and catch violators in Delhi, MCD decided to go on Facebook. Not all the way but just to address complaints of overflowing dhalaos (designated garbage dumps). When it got swamped by an avalanche of complaints – ranging from illegal constructions to bad roads – from people who for long didn't know whom to turn to, it realized the pitfalls of keeping an open house, or rather appearing to do so.
The Facebook account has been an instant hit with people. Within 48 hours of its launch, the page has got 1,278 hits and over 400 comments, mostly complaints. Only that MCD didn't want to know about the civic mess in such gory details.
VK Goyal, a resident of Mayur Vihar, Phase 1, has been waiting for the civic body's response to a photograph posted by him on the page. ``I have no idea about what happened to my complaint. People dump garbage near the main road in front of Samachar Apartments and it has become difficult for us to walk on this road. I thought MCD would do something about it,'' he said in exasperation. When told that this page was only for complaints related to designated garbage collection sites in the city, a disappointed Goyal said, ``What's the point of addressing problems related to dhalaos only? The streets are extremely dirty. Who will clean them?''
Like Goyal, there are hundreds of Delhiites who have complained about everything, except overflowing dhalaos. People have posted pictures of the pathetic condition of roads, waterlogging, rampant illegal constructions, encroachments on public space in various parts of the city etc. ``This is the scene at Block -H, Sector-3 of Bawana industrial area . We have already lodged a complaint but there is no response from your side. Please take action as soon as possible,'' wrote Ankit Jain, putting up a photo of a waterlogged road.
"Another illegal construction (in progress). Hope Laxmi Nagar is not repeated here. The construction is happening on a 50-year-old building which is falling apart already but greedy people are ignoring what happened at Laxmi Nagar. Please take necessary action,'' pleaded Aditya Kapoor with the photo of a building under construction in his area of Lajpat Nagar.
"It is about keeping the city clean. Dhalaos are just one part of it. It is a good initiative by the civic agency but it should expand the scope of issues to be taken up,'' said Ankit Bajaj, who posted the photograph of the dirty lane just outside the Civic Centre on Minto Road.
Preeti Goel had a word of advice for the civic body. ``Movement of garbage has to be streamlined first. Garbage must MOVE from different locations to `designated garbage collection sites'... through people responsible for doing it…. From citizens' point of view, garbage is garbage be it in the bins or in the collection sites,'' she wrote. MCD conceded that it had got an overwhelming response from people. Despite so many visitors, only 30-odd genuine complaints regarding dhalaos were received, of which MCD officials claim they have taken action in 20 cases.
"We wanted to focus just on the dhalaos as we have nearly 2,078 dhalaos in the cityMany comments received on the page do not pertain to MCD or the dhalaos. We are asking people, who have complaints on other issues to get in touch with the control room,'' said Anshu Prakash, additional commissioner (Engineering), MCD. Embittered by their experience, many may not care to do that.
NET GAINS: MCD page has got 1278 hits in 48 hours
