‘My GHMC’ civic app under fire for technical glitches, delayed action
HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), serving 1.4 crore people across 2,050 sq. km, is under criticism for its ‘My GHMC’ civic complaints app. Intended as a convenient link between citizens and the civic body, the app reportedly suffers from persistent bugs and procedural flaws, undermining its effectiveness and frustrating residents.
Vinay Vangala, a social activist, has highlighted several systemic failures, including inaccurate geo-mapping. He told HyderabadMail, “Residents of areas like Miyapur and Matrushri Nagar, when they attempt to log a complaint for their locality, the app automatically maps it to Falaknuma, a location on the opposite side of the city. This leads to tickets being incorrectly assigned to irrelevant ward offices, causing delays and inaction.”
“The mapping itself is wrong,” said Vinay. “When a ticket for garbage here gets assigned to Falaknuma, how can we expect timely action? For a population of crores, if we can’t maintain a simple app, it becomes very difficult for people who cannot physically visit offices or lodge complaints on social media.”
Citizens flag bugs, wrong geo-mapping
In addition to mapping errors, the app frequently experiences technical failures. Users often encounter ‘Server not responding’ messages or are unable to open the application. These issues extend beyond software glitches.
Vinay also reports ongoing inaction and administrative obstacles. Tickets are often closed by the department without any remedial action, and challenging these closures has become difficult. Although a reopen option exists, it now requires the complainant to upload new photographic evidence.
“This is the crux of the issue,” explained Vinay. “If I report burning waste in Madhapur and the department closes the ticket without solving it, I am forced to go back to the exact spot to take a new photo just to reopen it. Often, that’s not possible, so we are forced to accept the closure. There is no proper review mechanism to check if action was genuinely taken.”
The app’s motto, on mission tomorrow, feels unfulfilled for many users who encounter these challenges daily. These issues have raised concerns about the effectiveness of civic technology under the current GHMC leadership, prompting citizens to tag GHMC officials on social media to demand accountability.
