Amid Digital India push, Chandigarh MC website non-functional

Efforts of the Municipal Corporation and Smart City Limited to promote “Digital India” seem to be a mere eyewash given the non-functional MC website. Residents have been denied important information regarding civic works for the past one year.

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The residents get to know about the phone numbers of councillors and officers, who are responsible for routine civic works, on the website. Besides, agenda of MC House and Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) are posted on the website so that residents and other stakeholders could know about what development works are being tabled in a meeting.

Routine details about tenders, new schemes, updates and community centre bookings are also posted on the website.

While residents have been deprived of all this information for the past one year, the MC has not bothered about making an alternative arrangement.

President, Second Innings Association, RK Garg said, “For nearly a year, we have been in the dark about activities of the city MC. We are solely dependent on the website to know the contact numbers of councillors, forms, orders or House agenda and its minutes.”

“We call it a smart city and talk of Digital India, but the very basic thing — a functional website — is not available to residents. We have raised the issue time and again, but to no avail,” he added.

An officer concerned said, “Our website is being upgraded by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Chandigarh.” The NIC is responsible for providing information and communication technology support to various offices/departments of the UT Administration.

Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor said, “I will look into the matter and soon get the website functional.”