Cuttack, March 9: The municipal corporation will launch a dedicated mobile App (application) to ensure public participation in civic affairs, much along the lines of its Bhubaneswar counterpart.

The App will be introduced shortly as part of the civic body's ongoing efforts to improve its services.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had launched its own "My City My Pride" App in March last year. It is an interactive tool through which residents can post photographs of a particular place on aspects of its cleanliness or neglect.

Cuttack Municipal Corporation officials said initially the application could be used to lodge specific complaints on existing solid waste management. Users can also upload photographs of unattended garbage in their localities.

"The proposal to introduce the App was approved yesterday and a preliminary discussion has already been held with officials of the National Informatics Centre (NIC)," Gyana Das, municipal commissioner told The Telegraph today.

Though no formal date has been decided for the launch, the civic body is hopeful to start it by April last.

"At present, the civic body takes nearly two to four days to comply with the grievances registered at its complaint cell. We hope that the authorities will be more proactive in addressing the problems once the App starts functioning," said Ramesh Pradhan, a resident of Markatnagar.

This App will also save the residents' as they can directly file complaints from their mobile phones instead of travelling to the corporation office.

Civic sources said a dedicated team consisting of a few councillors and senior civic officials would monitor the complaints to ensure these were addressed within 12 hours.

"The application will certainly be of great help for the residents as they can file their complaints on the go," said Manjulata Das, a resident of Badambadi.

Das said the application would ensure transparency as all the complaints filed by any individual could be assessed by senior officials for appropriate action.