Citizen-Administration Connect Creates Impact through TenNewsNoida Group

Ashish Kedia, TEN NEWS

Citizens and officials of Noida city are utilizing the modern tools of communication to raise and resolve public grievance issues in a very innovative way. A WhatsApp group of Ten News named “TenNewsNoida” created by its director Sunita Mali is actively being put to great use by esteemed citizens of Noida to directly raise their concerns and bring it to the notice of relevant authorities.

Ten News spoke to various members of the group and took their feedback on this innovative medium of communication being used for public welfare.

Speaking to Ten News Brigadier (Retired) Ashok Hak, who is also the convener of Confederation of NCR RWAs Noida chapter said, “This is a great initiative and with even DCEO Saumya Shrivastava being available for public welfare through TEN NEWS group the things have become more smooth and effective. Various concerns are being raised continuously and we are also getting very prompt response from concerned officials.”

He further added that, “I hope this model becomes more successful as it is a very transparent and prompt forum for getting things resolved. He also advised group members to exercise necessary restraint so that it doesn’t become a platform to raise personal grievances and is solely utilized for greater welfare of general public of Noida”.

Another very active member of the group and an ambassador of Noida citizen problems from sector-77, Amit Gupta, software engineer by profession, also spoke to us and appreciated the platform. He said, “Officials have become very easy to approach and are also responding in very timely manner. It is very rare to see this kind of group and is one of the exceptional examples that can be replicated in the other districts/cities. Also with many junior officers being available on the group the burden on seniors has reduced to a greater extent”.
Amit has been on the group since August, 2016 and has raised multiple issues on the platform. Rather he is active 24*7 on burning issues of Noida concerning traffic, road, transport, environment etc. He is one of the most conscious citizen and cares for every big and small issue concerning Noida because of his great love for the city. He has been giving voice as well as pursuing many public welfare/civic issues and have also ensured resolution of multiple public issues through his consistent efforts and persuasion.

Vinod Sharma Bureau Chief of Nav Bharat Times also appreciated the participation of government officers in the group and said that it is a great medium for district authorities to stay connected with ground realities.

A N Dhawan Secretary General of FONRWA also appreciated the functioning of the platform but insisted on bringing more RWA’s to the forum. He suggested that this model can become much more successful by absolving more concerned citizen representatives in to the platform.

Speaking about the initiative Rajesh Goyal from NPCL said,“The general response towards government departments is heavily loaded with prejudices. A government official sometimes faces trouble in providing necessary action due to lack of feedback or unspecific nature of the problem. This WA group is an amazing bridge between public and government officials. Connectivity of CEO, ACEO, RWA’s and citizen activists make it very responsive and effective. It is installing a sense of governance in public as well as providing real-time feedback to government officials”.

Many group members have expressed their gratitude’s to Noida DCEO Saumya Srivastava who has been very active and has been ensuring prompt actions for public welfare through this group.

Speaking with Ten News, Mr. Srivastava very humbly accepted the compliment and retorted the fact that he was simply doing what a government official should really do. He said, “Basically any government official who is deployed on duty, it is his responsibility that if any public grievance is being raised, it must be properly readdressed. With social platforms such as Ten News Group, I experienced that citizens have been sharing their set of problems and we are getting first-hand feedback from the esteemed members of public. Even constructive criticism of the concerned policies adopted in Noida is happening in a very healthy spirit. It gives me pleasure to see the things getting resolved in a timely manner and I am delighted to be a part of such platform.”
On being asked about what more could be done in this regard he added, “From time to time, we can have discussions as well seminars among the members of the group and could share each-others experience to make public-private partnership more fruitful”.

NMRC OSD SK Bhatia spoke with us and applauded the contribution of admin group for building and maintaining such amazing bridge between public and government officials. He said, “Such initiative has ensured public participation in decision making and has made the whole process more transparent and people friendly. Everyone deserves praise for the same and it is my best wish that this coordination of officials and public should continue to bring desired changes in the city’s ecosystem”.

On being contacted Noida ACEO P K Agarwal said, “This is a praiseworthy platform and obviously bringing public and officials on a direct medium of communication helps us in resolving the problems without any delay. The department also gets useful feedback through the forum and it adds to the efficient functioning of our official”. He also praised efforts of DCEO Saumya Shrivastava for tirelessly resolving the civic issues of Noida by assistance of this medium.