The CFC, established with the noble intention of helping the taxpayers in the year 2002, is ironically drawing lot of flak from the same people. It started with the main objectives of saving customers from lengthy procedures and running from pillar to post for basic facilities like new water connections, paying of bills, etc and to get their grievances redressed under one roof. But unfortunately, things have changed a lot along the way.
Says corporator Stella Morais, "Just to get a simple complaint registered, you have to spend your valuable hours standing in the queue. Moreover, the clerks at the counter talk rudely and at the top of their voice. This is very humiliating. Special training should be given to the discourteous staff, right at the time of their recruitment, so that they keep pace with the highly competitive corporate sector."
P R Iyer, an elderly citizen of Karnik road, a regular at the center, informs, "The clearance of the queue somehow takes a very long time. Sometimes after spending a long time in one queue, we are suddenly asked to join another long queue at another counter. It is sometimes due to server problem or slow internet connectivity or a server crash."
The grieving public also complains of inaction on the lodged complaints. Complains Sitaram Mhaske, resident of Sanghvi Regency, Ward B Area, New Kalyan, "A year back, I lodged a complaint against the garbage accumulation beside the gate of Icon Plaza Hall and the blocking caused due to the parked vehicles at our society gate. No action has been taken till date."
These are some common grievances of the people visiting this facility at the KDMC office. The response of the in-charge of CFC is defensive. "We are running this centre with the best of our intentions. Routine activities have become much easier to be carried out. It aims at helping working couples who do not find time to personally pay bills and fulfill other formalities. They can get online information about the bills due to them, even if they do not reach their door.
They can find out till what stage their complaints have reached. If the complaint is closed with the 'Attended and Closed' note, without genuine redressal of the problem, the aggrieved can redirect the complaint directly to the commissioner with the token number of the previous complaint. The commissioner gives personal attention to such problems," informs Minal Bhade, systems analyst and current in-charge of the centre.
ABM Company that has helped in the setting up of this centre extends periodical technical support. 216 existing computers have undergone hardware upgradation and have got bandwidth enhanced. The replacing of these computers would be done in a phased manner. "There are five more such centres set up in Kalyan - Dombivli jurisdiction in the last six years but this, the first one, is the most customer friendly centre that remains open right from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm. We keep two counters functioning even during lunch hours," Minal adds.
Responds Aziz Sheikh, deputy commissioner (administration), KDMC, to these general complaints of the affected citizens: "Upgradation efforts of the computers are underway. In the detailed project report, under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, six projects on e-governance are also included for approval. To rectify the problem of impolite behaviour of our staffers, we will surely arrange personality development sessions for our staff."
Number of counters: 13
Birth and death related issues: 2
Inward counters: 2
Helpdesks: 3
Cash counters: 5
Town planning: 1
Staffers: 25-30
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Dr Sangeeta Sharma Kalyan
Quelle/Source: Mumbai Pluses, 25.01.2009
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
