More info needed in WhatsApp texts to repair roads better, says PWD
Kolkata: More specific information through WhatsApp to the state Public Works Department (PWD) would help in easy identification of the stretches in the state that need to be repaired.
The WhatsApp number 9073362000 was introduced, so that common people can send information if there is a need to repair any stretch of road in Bengal. Since then, thousands of people have been sending photographs of roads in poor condition to PWD on WhatsApp, with request of repairing them.
However, it is taking two to three days to identify the road, due to lack of information given by the sender of the message, along with photographs.
According to the sources in the state PWD, the concerned officials who are dealing with the WhatsApp messages in the state secretariat, are forwarding
the same to their counterparts in the
districts, to undertake the job of repairing the stretches of road in poor condition.
But in many cases, it is taking them time to identify the road, due to the sender of the message not providing necessary information.
According to an officer, it
would be easier to identify the road if the senders of the WhatsApp messages also provide information, including name of the block or the adjacent town, name of any nearby major road or any state highway, along with the photographs of the roads.
The executive engineers in the districts can easily identify the road, where they need to rush for its repair work if necessary information is provided to them, as there are around 19000 km of roads under state PWD and the work can also be started as early as possible, the official said, adding that the department has already received thousands of WhatsApp messages.
There are also several useless messages as well. Officials are negating the same. It may be recalled that a notification was issued a few days ago, stating that "messages which are not related to condition of roads, bridges, culverts and buildings, along with frivolous messages, will be disregarded".
It was also stated that the messages received will be "forwarded to the WhatsApp group of the district, in which the road, bridge, culverts and buildings are located. This group will have the numbers of the Executive Engineers of all divisions in the district dealing with maintenance of the same, the concerned Superintending Engineers and also the Zonal Chief Engineers."
The messages will also have to be forwarded to another WhatsApp group in "the headquarters, comprising the Principal Secretary of the department, Engineer-in-Chief, ex-official secretary of PWD and Chief Engineer PWD (Headquarters)."
At the same time, data comprising details of the complaints, including their date, also have to be prepared.
