In a firm move to ensure better civic accountability, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has dismissed three staff members for failing to act on public grievances filed through the Sahaaya 2.0 mobile application, a platform created to digitally report and resolve ward-level complaints.

The disciplinary action was taken following a recent public grievance redressal meeting, where civic officials were directed to monitor the complaints registered by citizens in their respective wards and take timely corrective measures.

Sahaaya 2.0 app central to grievance redressal

The Sahaaya 2.0 platform, launched as a part of BBMP’s digital governance initiative, allows residents of Bengaluru to register complaints related to roads, garbage, streetlights, waterlogging, potholes, and other civic issues. Each complaint is assigned to the concerned staff for prompt redressal.

However, during a recent audit of unresolved grievances, it was discovered that several complaints in specific wards had remained unattended for weeks, despite repeated notifications and reminders sent through the platform’s backend system.

“We found that complaints were neither being uploaded properly nor were actions being taken in time. This is unacceptable,” a senior BBMP official said.

Negligence in duty leads to immediate termination

The three staff members, whose identities were not officially disclosed, were reportedly assigned to different ward offices under BBMP’s east and south zones. They were responsible for monitoring the Sahaaya 2.0 complaint dashboard, forwarding requests to engineering and health divisions, and uploading the redressal status.

Their failure to perform these duties led to the public outcry during ward meetings, where citizens highlighted that their issues were being ignored despite multiple submissions.

“This is a clear case of negligence. When a tool like Sahaaya is available and operational, not using it effectively defeats the purpose. Disciplinary action was essential,” the official added.

BBMP warns of more action if lapses continue

Following this move, BBMP has issued fresh warnings to all ward-level officers and support staff, asking them to treat Sahaaya complaints as high-priority and to upload real-time updates on complaint resolutions.

“We have asked all officials to monitor the portal every day. If issues remain unaddressed without justification, strict action will follow,” said BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath.

The civic body is also in the process of integrating data from Sahaaya with citizen ratings and GIS-based service monitoring, to ensure transparency, performance reviews, and reward mechanisms for responsive staff.

Citizens welcome the action, seek faster resolution

Civic activists and local RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) in Bengaluru have welcomed BBMP’s action, saying it sends a strong signal to apathetic staff and could help improve confidence in the complaint redressal system.

“We hope this won’t be just a one-time action. There should be continuous monitoring, and monthly reports must be made public,” said Anusha Rao, a member of an RWA in Rajajinagar.

Some users, however, pointed out that technical glitches in the Sahaaya app also sometimes lead to delays and confusion, and called for upgrades to the user interface, better tracking tools, and multi-language support.

What is Sahaaya 2.0?

Launched in 2022, Sahaaya 2.0 is a mobile-based grievance redressal application developed by BBMP to help Bengaluru residents register civic complaints across 8 core departments — including Solid Waste Management, Road Infrastructure, Stormwater Drainage, Street Lighting, and Health.

Features include:

• Geo-tagging of complaint locations

• Photograph uploads for visual verification

• SMS and in-app alerts for status updates

• Escalation mechanism for unresolved complaints

• Integration with ward-level dashboards and BBMP data systems

BBMP has previously claimed that the platform helped resolve over 80% of complaints within 7 days. But recent audits have revealed inconsistent updates and performance in certain zones, especially during peak monsoon periods.

With this move, BBMP appears keen to set an example that negligence in public service delivery will not be tolerated. Whether this will lead to long-term improvements in complaint redressal or will require further systemic reforms remains to be seen, but for now, citizens have welcomed a rare instance of bureaucratic accountability in action.

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