India takes to app to clean up cities

11 lakh complaints lodged using the app and 85% of them resolve

A little over three years ago, when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up India's cleanliness drive with the Swachha campaign, not many thought it would get anywhere in a country as vast and chaotic as India.
Of late this is changing. Besides more active presence of people on the roads with brooms and mops, and cleaner looking public places like Railway Stations, the efforts seem to be bearing fruit.
About a year ago the Central Government launched 'Swachhta-MoUD' app to resolve sanitation-related grievances. The app allows the public to launch a complaint and audit action from the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).
The common man seems to be making good use of his empowerment by means of the app. So far, 11 lakh complaints have been lodged using the app in the past 10 months for issues including delay in clearing of bins, arrival of garbage vehicles or removal of dead animals, and more than 85 per cent of these complaints are shown as resolved. That action taken with a measure of promptitude is in keeping with the general trend of the Modi government.
While three cities from Madhya Pradesh - Gwalior, Jabalpur and Ratlam - have excelled in resolving issues quickly, the municipal bodies of Delhi rank below 100 among 1,784 civic bodies that are linked to the app. Mumbai and Navi Mumbai rank 39 and 44 respectively while Chennai ranks 66 in the list.
"This dynamic ranking of cities happens on a daily basis based on the responsiveness of agencies, citizens' feedback and user engagement. The time frame of resolving grievances has been fixed for each type of complaint. Each civic agency is aware about the service level agreements," said an urban development ministry official.
Nearly 40 per cent of the complaints are regarding delay in clearing garbage dumps and similar problems like unswept roads and clogged gutters. Most complaints are meant to be resolved with 12 hours of lodging them. In cases like clearing dead animals, the time frame is 48 hours.
A spokesman for the Urban Development ministry explained the process: After a complaint is lodged, it goes to the central server. Then it goes to the respective civic agency for action. The complainant is informed at each stage about the status. If it's not addressed within the given time frame, the matter is escalated. And a higher bureaucrat enters the scene.
Once the complaint is resolved, the agency concerned puts an updated photograph as proof. If the complainant is still not satisfied, he can reopen the complaint.
But despite the best intentions of the government, habits acquired over the years stand in the way of 'Swachha Bharat'.
In Kerala, one of the most literate states in India, waste and rubbish are accumulating by road side for no clear reason. There are places like Uttar Pradesh where the idea of hygiene and sanitation are rudimentary.
Naturally mosquito and other insect-borne diseases are on the rise. Nevertheless a dent seems to have been made in the sanitation of the country, and the Modi government seems keen to do all it can to make smart technology an agent of change.

• India