WhatsApp compulsory for Chennai corporation, PWD and Metro Water staff
Chennai: Notepads, smart phones with dual sims and WhatsApp are new tools for engineers and field staff administering Chennai. WhatsApp is now compulsory for several city corporation, public works department and metro water staff to send their daily report and responses to higher ups. Though top officers at the secretariat have been using Ipads for some years, the digital penetration of technology has reached grassroots now.
The situation is that sanitary workers cleaning Marina beach share pictures of removing trash on three-shift basis to corporation supervisors. Similarly, government public relation officers (PRO) in Chennai on an average maintain at least three groups. The first for the information department, second the department they are posted to and third to deal with newsmen covering the city.
Early this month, Chennai corporation PRO was transferred, the last, but not the least, the deputy director did was to make one of his deputies as admin of WhatsApp groups and this scenario is now common in many government departments.
At the secretariat, two IAS officers were more instrumental in either teaching or forcing their subordinates to start using WhatsApp. The first, was non- controversial Gagandeep Singh Bedi during his tenure as rural development secretary asking field officials to share pictures of lakes and ponds during developmental works and the second was former Chief electoral officer Sandeep Saxena who roped in district Collectors to monitor voters roll purification process two years back. Now this trend is gaining momentum with incumbent chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni maintaining at least two groups, including one for media with 150 participants.
“Except the judiciary, every other department in Chennai is now getting upgraded and landline facilities compulsory for small government offices are now a thing of past”, said a senior revenue officer in Chennai. “Two months back my depot engineer (ward 58) bought a cellphone for me to check about my whereabouts, but I returned the phone to him as my nature of job is to attend sewer blocks and found phone disturbing my ability, but most of our staff are now using smart phones and send sms to communicate with depot higher ups”, said S. Naidu, conservancy worker with Metro Water.
