The Pune Municipal Corporation's 'PMC Care' project has gained international recognition, winning first place in the "Emerging Economy - Legacy Cities" category. The award was presented at the IEEE International Smart Cities Conference held in Pattaya, Thailand, from October 29 to November 1. However, activists claim that the reality paints a different picture. They highlighted that while PMC Care is quick to respond and generate a ticket for complaints, the issues often remain unresolved.
The 'PMC Care' platform is designed to provide citizens with a seamless engagement experience, allowing easy access to various municipal services through a mobile application and portal. The services provided include complaint resolution, online payment of property and other taxes, water supply updates, information on citizen-focused services and real-time updates about events in Pune. Activists claim that while winning awards is commendable, the real issues remain unsolved.
Raja Subramanian, an activist, stated, "PMC Care is quite good at lodging complaints. You simply have to send a message on WhatsApp, and a ticket is generated. An official also calls and enquiries about your complaint. However, the execution is quite poor. The tickets are closed for strange reasons without the work being done. The work only gets done after multiple follow-ups with ward officers or after sending reminders. Some tickets, like those for footpath encroachments by builders or hawkers, never get addressed."
Vivek Velankar, another activist, said, "Through PMC Care, the civic body resolves smaller issues like potholes, bad roads, garbage collection and water-related issues. But the more complex and politically connected issues, such as infrastructure development and builders not following norms, are not solved, and the complaint tickets are closed without informing the citizens. Winning an award has no meaning if the civic body cannot solve the issues that concern the residents."
Pune Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale, along with other key officials, guided the development of this platform. The award has garnered appreciation from various dignitaries, further honouring PMC’s commitment to enhanced citizen engagement through technological innovation.
