Indian Express 08.01.2010

Gurgaon residents to log in, connect with civic body

For the tech-savvy residents of the Millennium City who are dissatisfied with the functioning of the one-and-a-half year old Municipal Corporation, but do not have the time to visit the officials concerned, a web portal will soon provide a two-way communication. The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has been conducting trial runs for its website over the last one month and the site is expected to be launched by this month end.

The officials are withholding the website address for now; it will be announced once the site is “flawlessly” ready, they say.

The site will be bilingual - Hindi and English - where residents can check the ongoing work on house tax payment and updating birth, death and marriage certificates, among others.

For those who do not know where the MCG office is located in the city, the site will give a real-time Google India image to guide the user to the office at Civil Lines from his/her current location.

The MCG has asked a private company (name withheld) to construct the official website. “The Corporation does not have a logo yet. The homepage of the website will have an option where citizens can choose or update logos, after which we will decide on one. They can also interact through blogs, which will be screened and published online. Also, when a citizen writes about a problem on the site and clicks the ‘Submit’ button, he will get to know about the time taken to complete the work and the official who will be in charge of it,” said MCG Commissioner Rajesh Khullar.

The website will also have a personal blog of the commissioner. Since the site will have the option of online payment and other personal details of individuals, MCG officials are making sure they use a private server instead of a public domain, which increases the risk of misuse, said the site’s technical advisor who did not wish to be named. The website will also have a compilation of various Acts and Rules relevant to the MC. It will have a section for news where the public address and press statements will be put up.

“Our aim is to ensure that citizens get information on all ongoing projects at the click of the mouse and do not need to file RTIs. They can sign in and won’t need to update details like date of birth, address, phone numbers every time they want to fill a form,” the MC Commissioner said. The website will have an option for online polling, where people cast their votes for different topics.

The Hindu 07.01.2010

KWA to introduce online payment

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: As part of the modernisation plans of Kerala Water Authority, online system for payment of water charges would be introduced by 2011. The pilot project for the same would begin in Thiruvananthapuram district in April.

N. K. Premachandran, Minister for Water Resources, said this at the inauguration of the Water Adalat held here for the district.

The department is on modernisation drive by introducing Information Technology services in its functioning.

This would enable the department to have a strong system to redress consumer grievances too.

The Minister said that strengthening the water supply in Kochi would be taken on a priority basis.

Two projects

Two major water supply strengthening projects of 280 mld water treatment plant at Kalamassery for water from the Periyar and 100 mld treatment plant at Nettoor from the Muvattupuzha river would help build up the total capacity of water supply to over 600 mld of water.

With the existing supply at 250 mld, much below the demand of over 300 mld, the new projects would take care of the water supply needs of Kochi up to 2040, said Mr. Premachandran.

These projects are part of the HUDCO water supply augmentation plans.

Tendering process for the second phase of the project at Nettoor is already over and construction would begin soon by February.

The Choondi project had managed to bring about relief to Thripunithura and nearby areas, but these measures are not enough to solve the problems of water shortage in a growing city, he said.

The Minister has also called for a meeting of the people’s representatives of the district on February 2 to discuss the water supply needs of Kochi.