BBMP officials caught lying on Sahaaya app

Although the BBMP launched the Sahaaya 2.0 app in February 2020 to bring transparency and accountability to citizen services, officials seem to have found a way to sidestep the process — by showing that the issue has been “resolved” on the app.

When a resident of Dollar Layout near BTM 2nd Stage (Bilekahalli Ward) repeatedly complained about piling garbage, waste dumping and overflowing drainage that flooded houses, he noticed the status on the Sahaaya app as “resolved” though nothing happened on the ground.

Tejas Ramaswamy wanted to bring civic issues to the authorities’ notice but has found that all the issues raised by residents had been shown as “resolved” on the app.

The flooding that happened in the area was the result of garbage and construction debris being dumped near the locality’s stormwater drain (SWD).

“This is the road that connects Bannerghatta Road with Silk Board Junction. The stagnating water releases stench and makes it difficult for vehicle users to ride on the sludge that has occupied 50% of the road, which causes traffic jams,” said Ramaswamy, a resident of 7th Cross.

Lack of door-to-door garbage collection prompts people in the area to dump waste on empty sites, he added.

When DH tried to contact an engineer whose number the BBMP had mentioned in the ticket in 2021, a family member answered the phone and said the engineer had died.

Residents also unsuccessfully attempted to get an overflowing manhole fixed. When the BWSSB said it cannot undertake the work without the BBMP’s permission, Ramaswamy raised the issue on the Sahaaya app.

“The BBMP said the issue has been resolved but BWSSB officials say they are yet to receive the clearance. What’s the use of the app if two government agencies can’t resolve issues between them,” he asked.

Asked why unresolved civic issues have been shown as resolved on the app, Bommanahalli Joint Commissioner Ramakrishniah said he was not aware of the issue. “I’ll look into it on Monday,” he said.

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