Mumbai: After discontinuing the earlier complaint registration app for potholes, the BMC’s Information Technology (IT) department has developed their own new mobile application called ‘Pothole QuickFix’.
Additionally, the civic body launched a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot service (8999228999) starting Monday, which officials claim is user-friendly and aims to make reporting potholes easier and faster for citizens.
The app, available on both Android and iOS platforms, allows users to register complaints by uploading photos, location details, and descriptions of potholes. Once submitted, the complaint is automatically routed to the concerned department, enabling civic engineers to take prompt action.
Features include location-based complaint registration, photo and location tagging, status tracking, estimated repair time, and the ability to provide feedback after completion. Similarly, citizens can also register complaints via WhatsApp chat using keywords like ‘Pothole’ or ‘PT’ in English, as well as their Marathi equivalents.
"If the complaint registered by the citizens is not resolved within 48 hours, a notification will be sent to senior officials so they can take note of the issue. Once the complaint is addressed, the complainant will receive a message confirming the action taken. If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution, they will have the option to ‘reopen’ the complaint," said an official.
Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) said, "The entire initiative is part of the broader ‘Smart Mumbai’ campaign. It serves as an excellent example of the effective use of digital tools to promote transparency and efficiency in civic services.
The civic body aims to make roads safer through active citizen participation. Citizens have the right to receive quality services from the municipality, and to address any shortcomings, the BMC has provided platforms like the app and WhatsApp chatbot for easy complaint registration.
The BMC has already concretised 1,333 km of roads across Mumbai and plans to concretise an additional 700 km in two phases under a Rs. 17,000-crore mega project. This monsoon, nearly Rs. 154 crore has been allocated for pothole repairs on roads still surfaced with asphalt or paver blocks.
