On call: MP, MLA take toll-free number route for people connect
Times of India | 14 June 2024
Kolkata: MLA and MPs are now trying to directly reach out to people to address their issues. Trinamool MP from Jadavpur Saayoni Ghosh is set to introduce a toll-free number by the end of this month or early July while Baranagar MLA Sayantika Banerjee will also introduce a system that will try to resolve grievances of the people of Baranagar on a priority basis.To be launched in the form of a new app, it is likely to be operational on June 18.
Ghosh said she would try and meet her constituency members once a week. “A helpline number will be launched within a month, where people can directly contact me and report their issues. This way, they will have direct access to their MP. Additionally, I will personally work in the municipal wards where there has been a deficit,” she said, adding: “I won’t come occasionally; I will come all the time.”
Banerjee is set to launch a mobile app and a toll-free number where people of her constituency can scan the QR code and register their grievances by answering a few questions regarding the issue. Banerjee said, “People should have easy access to the MLA. So, this system will help them register their problems with just a click or by dialling a toll-free number. There was no MLA office in Baranagar earlier. But now, there will be a permanent office so that people can have access to the MLA whenever they require.”
Both initiatives are modelled on the hugely successful ‘Didi Ke Bolo’, wherein people could reach out to CM Mamata Banerjee. The grievance redressal mechanism has been among the most successful mass outreach initiatives. ‘Didi Ke Bolo’ logged 10 lakh calls within a month of its launch in 2019. This has now become a permanent fixture in Bengal, with the CM’s direct helpline — Sorasori Mukhomantri — active now. Party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also successfully replicated this model in ‘Ek Dakeh Abhishek’, which allowed people to directly inform him of their issues.
Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said, “These communication modes have an impact in politics. The ability to reach out to political leaders, who cannot be easily assessed due to various reasons, can have a positive impact. But this can only be successful if the problems aired through these helplines are addressed and resolved. Unless that is done, the effect will be temporary.”