Cuttack, Aug. 7: The municipal corporation has decided to utilise social media platforms - Facebook and Twitter - to facilitate and promote the Swachh Bharat Mission and resolve public grievances.

"We will shortly open Facebook and Twitter accounts to interact with the people and solve their problems," municipal commissioner Bikash Mohapatra told The Telegraph today.

"We will open the accounts on a experimental basis. We would review the feedback and improve the system later," he said.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation has a website (cmccuttack.gov.in), which has details of some of the corporation's initiatives and grievance redress contacts. Outsourced developers periodically update the site, but it lacks vibrancy and simple navigation details. Online payment of taxes is not possible here.

The city administration is now looking to get closer to the residents through social media.

"Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter would be utilised to receive complaints and suggestions from the citizens. People can upload pictures of the actual scenario - whether it be uncollected garbage, bad roads or any other problems - for immediate action," he said.

Environmental activist Biswajit Mohanty said: "With social media becoming increasingly relevant in disseminating information, the civic body can utilise the social media platforms to share plans, seek opinion from the city populace and incorporating suggestions on how to go about future development plans keeping in view of the needs of Cuttack city."

Chairman of the civic body's standing committee for sanitation Ranjan Kumar Biswal said: "We also want to make use of positive criticism for the development of the city. We prefer transparency and every programme or plan will be shared with the people."

The civic body also plans to utilise Facebook and Twitter to facilitate and promote the Swachh Bharat Mission, the mega sanitation programme of the Union government that aims to ensure access to sanitation facilities (toilets, solid and liquid wastes disposal systems and urban cleanliness) to every person by 2019.

"We plan to utilise social media for Swachh Bharat Abhijan activities such as elimination of open defecation to effect behavioural change regarding healthy sanitation practices, generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health, and our capacity augmentation," Biswal said.

Teacher and social activist S.K. Kalimulaha said: "Utilisation of social media to reach the people is an effective means of communication. It gets immediate response from the public. But, much remains to be seen whether the civic body is able to make optimum use of the system."