BBMP embraces new-gen tech to tackle waste woes

BBMP’s Solid Waste Management (SWM) department will use a next-gen technology to make governance simple and transparent.

The blockchain technology obviates the need for a trusted authority or a central server, allowing citizens to track their grievances with SWM control cell through an app. They can find details of the officer handling the complaint, its resolution and the estimated time without having to call the health inspector.

The civic body is implementing the technology in partnership with the NGO Citizen Involved and Technology Assisted Governance (CITAG) that first proposed the solution.

“People can file complaints by any mode –letter, Sahaya app etc. The SWM control cell consolidates the complaints in the system. They can track the status of their complaint by mobile phones,” CITAG President GR Chandran said.

Chandran said the system cuts down human intervention in the control room while making access easy for citizens. “If a complaint isn’t resolved in time, it automatically escalates to a health inspector,” he said.

Citizens can use the app to learn how their ward is performing and the issues still to be resolved by civic agencies. The NGO has sought BBMP’s approval and will roll out the project in phases. “We’ll roll out the first phase 40 days from the approval and subsequently add more features. We’ll then move to other departments of BBMP,” Chandran said.

He said blockchain will remain integral to all other technology services. “It doesn’t allow anyone to tamper with the data. We want it to be more trustworthy to both the government and citizens,” he said.

BBMP (SWM) special commissioner Randeep D confirmed that the project will kick start after the Lok Sabha elections.

First associated with cryptocurrencies, blockchain is hailed as the next-gen technology with the potential to revolutionise information processing. It could handle a growing number of users even as its platform remains encrypted, credible and secure.