With WhatsApp, there fewer phone calls to attend and photos of the work done can be seen
Chennai corporation has also been using the WhatsApp as a means of communication among field level officials and senior officials at the headquarters
Chennai: At 10 am on Wednesday, Betcy Latha, an assistant engineer with the municipality, is informed of waterlogged streets in Chromepet. She immediately updates her WhatsApp account and alerts her superiors before rushing to the area. On reaching the site, she takes photographs of the problem and sends it to her group of superiors who advise her on what action to take and how.
Photos and expertise are exchanged and soon workers are sent to the spot to initiate action. Once the issue is resolved, Betcy WhatsApps the photo of the completed work to her superiors. “Before WhatsApp, all of this was done by phone calls and a visit to the main office, which was a big strain,” recalls Betcy. Not just Betcy, but a large number of government officials are now using social media to speed up their work and making inspection easier.
With the application, officials are able to monitor the progress of work in all the areas under them at one go.S. Ramamoorthy, commissioner of Pallavaram municipality, says, “Earlier, the phone used to ring frequently which was quite irritating. But, with WhatsApp, not only are there fewer calls to attend to but we are able to see photos of the work done by officers.” The municipality is also planning to give tabs to its field staff.
Ramamoorthy adds, “The tabs will give better resolution pictures which will help our file work.” Chennai corporation has also been using the WhatsApp as a means of communication among field level officials and senior officials at the headquarters. Atleast 200 alerts are sent every day, an official said.
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