call center report

7/24/2019 Call center report

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1077 Call Centre Report

1077-A facilitator and a life saver!

Akash P IAS

Assistant Collector

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Preface

This is a humble attempt to document the success stories of the unique

intervention followed by the Dharmapuri district administration- the 1077 callcentre.

In this report, it has been specified how this 24x7 call centre has managed to

satisfy the diverse needs of the people and how in emergency situations this

facility has served as a great protector of the rights of people.

Out of the many glorious chapters in its annals since its inception, 12 cases are

specifically mentioned wherein grave social problems and injustices have been

corrected which clearly indicates that this facility has succeeded in its role as an

ombudsman in channelising the common grievances and by getting them

redressed.

As an introduction to the documentation of the success stories, a detailed

description, replete with original photographs, is given to acquaint an

unsuspecting reader to the real nature and importance of this innovative

intervention. The whole report runs into eight chapters. Detailed abstract of

statistics, gleaned directly from the database, is annexed separately.

I thank the respected district collector, Thiru. K. Vivekanandan IAS for giving

me this splendid opportunity to study in closer detail, his pet project and

initiative which has evolved into a successful and full fledged institution worthy

of being emulated elsewhere.

I also thank my assistant, other subordinate staffs for providing valuable inputs

for the completion of this project. Special gratitude is due to the staff manning

the call centre itself who were kind enough to give me valuable inputs without

which this attempt would have remained a non starter.

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1077 Call CentreReport

1. Introduction-Historical Background

1.1In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami which ravaged the coasts of South

East Asia including our state, the Government of Tamil Nadu instituted a

control room to receive complaints from people who are affected by the natural

calamities, in all the districts with special emphasis during the months of

October to December when they are more prone to the vagaries of naturewhich come in the form of North East Monsoon.

1.2 While in the other district the control rooms instituted therein solely caters

to the emergencies precipitated by the natural calamities and that too primarily

during the short window of time during which the foaming brine and the

ravaging winds are likely to wreck havoc on the lives of the people, in

Dharmapuri, the facility works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Tsunami which occurred in 2004


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Inauguration of the facility by the Honble Minister in the presence of the collector.

1.3 This also needed a full-fledged cooperation from the employees who were

eventually persuaded to work even in night shifts and on Sundays, and theircontribution to the success of the call centre has been immense.

CRA/ACS interacting with complainant.

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1.4 The idea was conceived by the district collector Thiru Vivekanandan IAS,

who saw in this temporary arrangement that was primarily meant to address

expedient and emergent concerns, a potential for a permanent institution that

could address a whole lot of concerns faced by the common people ranging

from water supply issues to child marriage and from doctor absenteeism in

PHCs to pilferage of fair price items. In other words the mandate of the call

centre cuts through all the departments and it functions as an overarching

umbrella department under the overall superintendence of the collector, that

gets peoples complaints redressed from all branches of governance.

1.5 Following the concretisation of this idea, the control room formally came

into being in the 8th month of 2013 and has since served as an effective channelto receive the peoples petition and to divert them to the respective government

departments so that the officers concerned may take necessary action to address

their respective grievances.

A Staff marking his presence through the biometric attendance facility.

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2. Modus Operandi

2.1 As mentioned aforesaid, the room is occupied by staff 24 by 7 and is

furnished by the state of the art communication facilities like telephones, faxmachines, broadband connection, iPads, tablets and other devices.

2.2 As soon as a complaint is received, it is written down in a register (we

currently have our 18th register running!), in which the particulars of thecomplaint are recorded likethe index number of the complaint and date, the

name and address of the complainant, the details of the grievance, the details of

the officer concerned, and finally, the followup action taken on it.

Taking complaints from the public.

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2.3 The complaints are being monitored effectively

and regularly and since each of the complaints are also

entered in the computer in addition to being noted in a

register as and when they are received, the statistics are

being maintained in a fairly accurate manner.

2.4 The complaints so received are sent by email to the officer concerned who is

then required to personally investigate the grievance concerned and then report

back to the control room by email, which in turn is recorded. The compliance is

also ensured by random telephonic verification by reaching out back to thecomplainant.

Forwarding complaints through e-mail to the departments/officer concerned.

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1077 Re ister

Snapshots of the Registers


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3. Abstract of Statistics

The figures listed below are taken till the end of 2015 for the sake of convenience. For

dynamic and upto date statistics, the control room may be contacted.

The total number of complaints received till the end of 2015:

Their yearly breakup: No of complaints Monthly Average Daily Average

It can be clearly seen that the number of complaints received at the call centre has gone up

drastically over the years. During the initial year, the call centre received 9 per day on an

average. This drastically enhanced to 23 and 30 respectively for the following two years.

By looking at the increasing trend of usage of this facility, it can be safely predicted that the

number of complaints received will further increasewith increasing awareness amongst

the people.

I expect the daily average to be somewhere between 35 and 40for the coming year

2016, on the basis of an informed mathematical guess.

The detailed statistics, including the breakup of figures, the number of complaints received by

each of the officers, etc are annexed along with the report.

2013 (from August) 1352 270 9

2014 8116 676 23

2015 10640 887 30

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4. Spreading the Word

4.1 For the success of any intervention, the awareness and participate of the

people- the principal stakeholder- is an imperative. In view of this a multipronged strategy has been evolved to ensure that the people are made aware of

this intervention and that they rely and depend on it for the resolution of their

manifold grievances.

4.2 The following are the various methods employed for the dissemination of

information:

4.2.1 Advertisements painted on overhead tanks.

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Overhead tank with the call centre number 1077 clearly visible


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4.2.2Notices pasted in ration shops, where practically all the people would

frequent and therefore, is an effective means to reach out the maximum

number of people.

1077 notice pasted on the wall of ration shop

4.2.3Notices in school/hostels/educational institutions etc.

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4.2.4. Posters installed in almost all the government offices at the district level

like VAO office, Taluk office etc, where people regularly visit to receive various

government services. Also it is put up in public places.

Notice installed in a government office.

4.2.5. Besides this the advertisement of 1077 call centre is placed alongside withmost of the press releases and press notices issued on behalf of the district

administration and no stone is left unturned to notify the existence of this

initiative to maximum number of people.

4.2.6. The collector and the district functionaries talk about this call centre in

all the public meetings so that the people are assured of prompt and effective

redressal of their grievances that are channelised through 1077.

4.2.7Also, the information is posted on various vehicles:

i) Private school buses,

ii) Share auto rickshaws,

iii) Vehicles offering commercial services like trucks, lorries etc.

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5. Tele-attendance/Tele-monitoring

5.1 Another novel way in which this facility has been put to use in an innovative

way is the monitoring of attendance of government/semi-government staff andensuring that they are rendering prompt services to the clientele. The following

picture below shows how this facility is being implemented in anganwadis to

ensure the attendance of ayas.

5.2 Attendance is also taken in about 22 government homes for children and

students hostels by telephone to ensure the daily presence of staff. The wardens

make daily telephone calls to the centre and would report the staff strength so

that their attendance is ensured.

5.3Monitoring is done at various critical places like

Hogenakkal, where recently several lives were lost in a boat

accident. Several CCTV cameras are instituted there and the

footage of the same can be accessed through the tablet kept at

the control rooms and can be monitored in real time so thataccidents and emergencies can be dealt with in time.

5.4 Water levels of dams and lakes are also monitored on a daily basis at this

centre and are noted down based on the information furnished by the PWD

engineers on duty at the site. During the flood season, there is every likelihood

of a breach of dam walls and lakes and hence they are closely monitored to

prevent the occurrence of any accident or disaster.

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6. WhatsApp

6.1 Realising fully well the potential of the modern communication devices in

this era of smartphones and pocket computers, the 1077 call centre has alsobegun to utilise softwares such as WhatsApp to more effectively channelise

information and intelligence and also to serve as a receptacle for individual

grievances.

6.2 The added advantage of WhatsApp over telephonic communication is that

pictures and videos can be sent more effectively and rapidly and important

issues and problems can be swiftly brought to the notice of the collector by

merely forwarding them by the click of a button.

6.3 As soon as a message is received through WhatsApp, the same is forwarded

to the respective officer and a copy is also sent to the collector. A separate

register is also maintained for complains received through WhatsApp.

6.4 Added bonanza is that through WhatsApp calls can also be made and that

too free of charge!

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7. Success Stories

7.1 The efficacy or effectiveness of any initiative can only be measured by

gauging its output. Therefore it is necessary to outline a few of successful andnotable instances wherein the 1077 call centre has contributed outstandingly to

the cause of social service.

7.2 Case A: Prevention of Child Marriage

In the first two cases, the complaints were filed by the affected girls

themselves, but in the latter two, they are filed by a different person.

7.2.A.1 Complaint no: 11679 dated 09.03.2015 received at 21:45 hrs was

registered by one Miss Sathiya (Mob No: 8883063177), Punaiyanur village and

she informed the 1077 call centre that she is being forced by her parents to

marry someone against her own wishes and that she was under age.

The officer concerned- Tehsildar Pappirettipatti- rushed to the spot and found

that the complaint was genuine. He prevented the incident and took written

undertaking from the parents that they would not attempt to marry her off

again as long as she is underage.


registered by one Miss Kavya (Mob No: 9751605333), Pallippadi Village and

she informed the 1077 call centre that she was still 15 years old only. And that

she was being forced into marriage on that day (the day when the complaint was

made). She requested that it be stopped.

Again the Tehsildar Pappirettipatti prevented the marriage and took written

undertaking from the parents that they would refrain from doing so int he

future.


registered by one Mr Arumugam, Ambedkar street and he informed the 1077

call centre that in Harur a girl of age 16 is being married to a boy aged 22 andthat this child marriage be prevented.

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On intimation, the Revenue Inspector (RI) and the Village Administrative

Officer (VAO) rushed to the spot and prevented the tragedy.


registered by one Mr Muniraj (Mob No: 9965302436), Mallapuram Panchayat

and he informed the 1077 call centre that in Chandrapuram a child marriage

was being planned and it should be prevented.

Tahsildar Palacode on enquiry found that the engagement was already over and

marriage was in the offing. He immediately took steps to prevent the marriage

from taking place.

7.2 Case B: Child Labour

7.2.B.5 Complaint no: 9959 dated 07.02.2015 received at 15:00 hrs was

registered by one Mr Mathankumar (Mob No: 9843482348), Nolana Alli

Panchayat and he informed the 1077 call centre that a certain child, Master

Arul, a resident of Malaikkarankottai village, was being sent to work in a

weaving company and that he was so sent to employment at the behest of hisparents and that he was only about 12 years of age.

Immediately, the complaint was forwarded to the Child Labour Prevention

Officer, who personally went and inspected and found the complaint to be

genuine. As a consequence, he child was handed over to the Child Line and

necessary steps were taken to admit the child to a school.

7.2 Case C: Dog Bite

7.2.C.6 Complaint no: 18801 dated 14.11.2015 received at 14:40 hrs was

registered by one Mr Dinesh (Mob No: 9498172157), 3rd ward,

Veerappanaikkampattanam, Harur that a certain mad dog was roaming around

in his village and had by then bitten 11 people and that it was expedient in the

public interest that the said dog be removed as soon as possible.

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The complaint was then sent to the BDO Harur who on inspection found that

there was indeed a menacing dog and that it had reportedly bitten 6 people.

Actions were taken immediately to admit the affected people to the Government

Hospital and the said dog was removed with the assistance of the forest ranger.

7.2.C.7 Complaint no: 5854 dated 26.09.2014 received at 13:10 hrs was

registered by one Mr Muthusamy (Mob No: 8870422017), Nallakutla Alli and

he said that many dogs were at large and were biting cattle and livestock with

impunity and that it was important to remove them as soon as possible.

The petition was forwarded to BDO Morappur who then inspected and found

the complaint to be true. He took steps to remove all the stray dogs from thearea and made arrangements to supervise that they do not re-enter the area.

7.2 Case D: Dangers posed by EB Lines

7.2.D.8 Complaint no: 3197 dated 07.07.2015 received at 10:15 hrs was

registered by one Mr Thamizharasan (Mob No: 9751506775), Erur, that a

Electricity Board main line bringing electricity to the village was in a precarious

state and that it could fall down anytime posing imminent danger to life of thevillagers.

The complaint was immediately sent to the concerned engineer of the

Electricity Board who then inspected the place and found the complaint to be

true. He immediately took steps to replace the damage post and instituted a new

one securely and hence the danger was averted.

7.2.D.9 Complaint no: 3451 dated 06.07.2014 received at 13:00 hrs was

registered by one Mr Murugesan (Mob No: 9943131336), Sathyanathapuram,

and he reported that two electric posts were damaged and had been in that state

for the preceding six months and despite repeated complaints, steps were not

being taken to replace the posts.

The petition was expeditiously forwarded to the Executive Engineer in charge

and he inspected the location and found that only one of the posts was faulty

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and the other was still in good condition. The faulty one was removed and

replaced by a fresh one.

7.2 Case E: Complaints from Government Hostel/School

7.2.E.10 Complaint no: 5389 dated 15.09.2014 received at 19:10 hrs was

registered by one Mr Sivakarthi , Mallapuram Panchayat and he informed the

1077 call centre that in Adidravidar High School eggs were not being given for

the preceding five days even though they are entitled to it.

District Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer inspected and took action to provide eggs

in all the days of the week.

7.2.E.11 Complaint no: 18583 dated 06.11.2015 received at 17:15 hrs was

registered by one Mr Mnirathnam (Mob No: 9865351868), Pazhaya

Dharmapuri and he informed the 1077 call centre that in Old Hostel (Boys

higher secondary school), the cook named Arumugam smokes in the hostel, and

that he uses the kitchen as a bathroom and he doesn't give food for the students

during the night.

The District Backward Class Welfare Officer inspected and warned the hostel

cook that the aforementioned activities would not be tolerated and in case they

are repeated int he future, stern action shall be taken against him.

7.2 Case F: PDS Pilferage

7.2.F.12 Complaint no: 17725 dated 07.10.2015 received at 14:35 hrs was

registered by one Mr Muniappan (Mob No: 9443254801), Morappur and he

informed the 1077 call centre that a certain lady named Asha was

unauthorisedly keeping the ration cards and that she was selling off PDS items

to private parties without giving it to the deserving card holders.

The Joint Registrar Cooperative Societies went to inspect and found the

allegations had basis and transferred the erring lady to Thasara Alli ration shop.

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8. Conclusion

8.1 To sum up, it has to be said that the innovation to extend the services of the

call centre to cater to all the needs of the people, and not just the emergenciesprecipitated by natural disasters, has been immensely successful which is

evidenced by the 12 success stories outlined in this mini Report. The actual

number of accomplishments are much larger and deeper and the 12 cases

selected are only a representative of the much larger spectrum of incidents, the

details of which can be obtained from the call centre itself.

8.2 Public Administration is all about the delivery of public goods and services

to the clientele- the people- in all ways possible, in an efficient, effective and

transparent framework. To this end, all forms of technologies, innovations

interventions etc can be used as long as the alternatives proffered are cheap,

robust and sustainable. By these yardsticks, it can be easily seen that the 1077

call centre lives upto the said goals and is, thus, proven to be effective and is an

ideal model which can and should be replicated in other districts as well.

On a concluding note, I would like to express my deep satisfaction in the

completion of this report and that I have put my mind wholeheartedly into the

assaying of it. If the way in which this report highlights the cardinality of a

similar intervention elsewhere, inspires other districts to implement a similar

arrangement therein, in Tamil Nadu or even outside, nobody will be better

pleased than I am!

Akash P IAS,

11.01.2016.

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