The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) grievance redressal platform, PMC Care, introduced to help citizens report civic issues such as potholes, damaged chambers, burst water pipelines, dangerous trees and streetlight faults, has come under criticism for allegedly closing complaints without taking action or seeking feedback from complainants.
Apart from the PMC Care mobile application, citizens can also lodge complaints through social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter). However, several residents have alleged that complaints submitted through X are frequently marked as "resolved" despite no action being taken on the ground.
Many complainants say they receive a ticket number immediately after reporting an issue, followed by a message within a few days stating that the complaint has been closed. However, residents claim there is no actual mechanism to track the status of complaints using the token number provided. Clicking on the tracking link reportedly only displays instructions on how to file a complaint through X, making the token number ineffective.
Residents have shared mixed experiences with the PMC Care system.
"I have filed complaints several times through PMC Care, but no action was taken. I never received a call from the corporation, and most complaints were simply closed," said Madhu Singh, a resident.
Another resident, Rutuja Kamble, said that while complaints related to streetlights and potholes are often addressed and followed up with phone calls, complaints regarding encroachments and footpaths are frequently closed without satisfactory action.
Citizens have also pointed out that many people prefer raising complaints through social media rather than downloading the mobile application. However, they argue that the absence of an effective tracking system and closure of complaints without verification defeats the purpose of the initiative.
Following media reports nearly two years ago, then Additional Municipal Commissioner Kunal Khemnar had directed officials not to close complaints without obtaining feedback from the complainant. A similar order was later issued by former Additional Commissioner Prithviraj BP, directing the civic body's call centre to contact complainants, record their feedback before closing complaints and inform them if resolution required additional time.
Responding to the allegations, Rahul Jagtap, Chief of the Information Technology Department, PMC, said that complaints registered on PMC Care are not intentionally closed. He attributed some lapses to staff being deployed for census-related work, due to which complaints may have been closed without adequate verification. He also stated that since complaints filed through X do not capture the complainant's mobile number, a tracking facility cannot currently be provided, adding that suitable changes will be made to improve the system.
The recurring complaints have once again raised questions over the effectiveness of PMC's online grievance redressal mechanism and whether citizens concerns are being addressed before complaints are marked as resolved.
