BDA finding it tough to attend to grievances within time limit

BDA finding it tough to attend to grievances within time limit

The Hindu

Authority receives 800 complaints through telephone complaint management system

# While launching the system, the BDA had assured that it would attend to grievances within 48 hours
# Many of the callers complained about site allocation and land registration issues

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Development Authority is finding it difficult to live up to its promise of attending to individuals' grievances within 48 hours.

Since the BDA launched its telephone complaint management system (155302) a month ago, it received more than 800 complaints. The complaint management system on its website had received at least 250 complaints.

The BDA, while launching the system, assured that it would attend to the grievances within 48 hours, failing which the level of the enquiry would be escalated. If the complaint remained unanswered for a week, the issue was to be brought before the Commissioner of the BDA. Many of the callers complained about site allocation and land registration issues. In some cases, the complaints were about long standing issues — complaints that were lodged with the BDA several years ago.

In one case, a caller had left a complaint about marginal land that belonged to him that was allotted to his neighbour by the BDA almost two decades ago. In this case, the BDA by mistake gave the complainant's neighbour additional land.

The official said that while a time-frame to attend to complaints was essential, a more workable one needs to be arrived at. "We need to provide a deadline so that complaints are answered. Otherwise, too many people queue up at the BDA office with problems. However, the more time needs to be provided for the more serious complaints," the official said.