Sambalpur, Oct. 1: Residents of the district will now be able to lodge police complaints online.

In a move to make the cops more responsive to criminal cases, Sambalpur police today launched Citizen Portal, which is a part of the Union government's Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System, in the district.

Besides, the portal will enable the complainants to check the status of their cases online as well as seek permission for staging protests and processions.

Deputy superintendent of police S. Tigga said the portal would facilitate not only to file complaints online, but also to check the progress of a case on the same platform. "All police stations of the district have been intimated that the citizen portal will start operating from today," said Tigga. The district has 23 thanas, including the Mahila and Energy police stations.

"People can also register their feedback on the portal. However, before everything, they will have to create user IDs and furnish their details," said Tigga.

"It's going to be very helpful. On several occasions, people complain of non-registration of cases. However, such situations will not arise once the portal starts functioning. Once the complainants file their case online, they will immediately receive a code number as an acknowledgment. As soon as an online complaint is lodged, it will immediately be referred to the police station concerned," a police official said.

"It will also help us share information and data among the police stations, districts and the state," the official said.

Earlier, the police had also organised awareness meeting regarding the portal in several areas to sensitise the people about it. Those, who had taken part in the meeting, were told how they could benefit from the system.

He also said that of the 756 police personnel in the district, 578 had already been trained to handle the system and the citizen portal. "The remaining personnel will be trained gradually," he said.

"People often hesitate to go to the police stations and lodge FIRs, because policemen are mostly unresponsive. However, the portal will make it possible to lodge complaint online sitting at homes. Moreover, it would make the police more accountable," said local resident Sandeep Mohanty.