The New Town authorities are going to launch a mobile application that will let residents register their concerns and get in touch about civic services, including solid waste management, water supply, broken roads and street lights.
A senior official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), which provides civic services to all three action areas of the township, said the One City One App will be available for iOS and Android users. The app will also be useful for visitors to New Town.
Residents will be able to alert the NKDA control room and required departments directly about their problems on the app.
“It will be an interactive app and will help residents provide feedback on the services that we render and get in touch with us in case they need any help. There will be an integrated chat window that will be monitored in real-time. For visitors, a map will list out places of interest and provide step by step navigational inputs,” the official said.
The agency is in charge of property tax collection, issuing of birth and death certificates and property mutation in all three action areas of the township. It is also responsible for providing civic services, including building and maintaining roads, upkeep of street lights, garbage collection and maintenance of parks and boulevards.
The NKDA functions as an urban local body, much like the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The NKDA has a website.
A senior NKDA official said the app will function in tandem with the website and its purpose is to ensure wider reach more quickly.
“Although our website can be accessed through any smartphone, we felt having an app will be more convenient for residents. This app will be directly controlled by the NKDA control room and feedback provided will be directly forwarded to the concerned department,” said the official.