Sabar Dhaka app fetches
25,000 complaints a year

Solution rate 97 percent in DNCC

Zarif Mahmud: Household waste was piled up on the pavement of Road No. 6 in Sector-4, Uttara, pedestrians had to sniff and move. Even the two streetlights on that road did not light up after dusk. On December 6, Jamal Uddin, an official of a non-government organization, took a picture on his mobile phone and complained on the ‘Sabar Dhaka app’. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) solved the problem after 12 hours.
On the other hand, on January 15, Fahima Akhter, a local resident of Dhaka, took a picture of a mosquito breeding ground in a small pond in Namapara of Khilkhet and complained to everyone. His house is next to this pond. Two days after his complaint, the DNCC cleaned the pond and sprayed pesticides on it.
In this way, DNCC is working to solve civic problems through Dhaka App (Citizen Engagement Management Platform). The DNCC launched the app on January 1, 2021. Now this digital medium has given the opportunity to the citizen to receive services and to complain directly to the mayor. Citizens have expressed satisfaction over this. However, there are some complaints.
For contributing to such public service work, Digital Bangladesh Award-2021 was received by ‘Sabar Dhaka’ on 12 December. Now the app is being managed by the IT department of DNCC. According to the people involved in this department, from January 10, 2021 to Sunday (February 8), the Dhaka app has been downloaded and registered almost 30,000 times from the Play Store of smartphones. Of these, citizens have reported 25,438 problems.24 thousand 825 have been solved. The solution rate is 97.2%. Besides, work is going on to solve 612 problems.
DNCC system analyst Tuhinul Islam told that the mayor Atiqul Islamlaunched the app to connect DNCC with the citizens. Now if anyone complains, the concerned people are trying to solve it immediately. He said over the past one year, 3,329 complaints have been lodged on road problems, 13,191 on mosquitoes, 2,097 on garbage, 3,750 on street lights, 41 on public toilets, 625 on sewers, 1,227 on illegal installations and 407 on waterlogging. Every day 10-15 complaints are coming. They are being resolved from the concerned regional office.
On September 3, a manhole cover was broken by a sand truck on the 60-foot road in Agargaon. To avoid the risk, a local resident hung a red cloth on a bamboo pole in the manhole on the same day. But even after a week, there was no new slab. Later, college student Rakib Hasan took a picture and complained in the ‘Sabar Dhaka’ app. The next day, Dhaka North City Corporation (DSCC) put a lid on the manhole.
When contacted, college student Rakib Hasan said, “Complaining in the ‘Sabar Dhaka’ app is the solution. I saw such an advertisement on social media Facebook.” According to him, I took a picture of the problem and complained. The next day I saw that they had solved it.
The road and sidewalk in front of Tejgaon College in Farmgate has been occupied by hawkers for more than a decade. There are problems for pedestrians and vehicles on this road from 9 am to 10 pm. On July 26 last year, Abu Taher, a resident of Indira Road, complained about the eviction of hawkers in the Dhaka app. But so far, he has not solved this problem. Although everyone’s Dhaka app mentions that this problem has been solved.
When contacted, Abu Taher said the DNCC launched the eviction drive a week after the allegations were made. But the next day the roads and sidewalks were again occupied by hawkers. Now there are more hawkers than ever before.
There are allegations that the problem has been solved in the app without being solved. On October 4, a warning letter signed by DNCC secretary Mohammad MasudAlam Siddique was issued in this regard. In this letter, he mentioned that if the officials and employees working at the field level including the head office of DNCC have uploaded the system to the effect that the problem of ‘Sabar Dhaka’ app has not been solved, then necessary action will be taken against them according to the law.
When asked, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam told that Dhaka is a popular means of solving the problems of all citizens. Complaints that come up every day are being addressed immediately. Those which are not possible to solve immediately, are being solved gradually with a little time. But no problem will last. The DNCC will do whatever it takes to serve the citizens.
Atiqul Islam said that many problems are created in the city due to the unconsciousness of the citizens, adding that many people in the city are still unconscious. They are throwing dirt everywhere. Households under construction are being placed on roads and sidewalks. The city corporation is working to raise public awareness to solve such problems. Besides, those who are causing problems are also being jailed and fined.
Everyone’s Dhaka installed on mobile phones
The app can be found by connecting to the internet on any Android smartphone and searching in the phone’s Play Store under the name ‘Shobar Dhaka- Citizen portal for DNCC’. After downloading the 11 MB app, you have to select the language and verify the mobile phone number. The user will then enter the main interface of the app with his name and location access.
How the app works
The app will have separate sections for roads, mosquitoes, garbage, street lights, public toilets, sewers, illegal installations. Users can report problems and suggestions related to any category they select. For example, tapping the ‘Roads’ section to report a road problem or suggestion will bring up a form. There will be options to write the relevant picture, address, problem type and details.
If these are filled properly, the information will go to the executive engineer and ward councilor of the concerned area. Similarly, health related issues can be reported to the health officer, waste officer for waste, property officer for illegal installation through this app.
As soon as the citizens complain, it will reach the city corporation. According to him, the concerned officials will see the problem on the spot and inform the user how long it will take to solve it. The probable time of resolution will be informed within three days of receiving the complaint. If you fail to respond, the superior will automatically know. If left unmanaged, they can be left astray and lose the right path.
In addition to the eight categories mentioned, the app also provides emergency numbers for various call centers of government service organizations. For example, 333 for government information, 999 for emergency services, 106 for ACC, 1090 for disaster warning. The nearest services also have information on parking, gas station, public toilet, hospital, ATM booth, park, police station, fire service, community center, STS, pharmacy etc.
At the national level (official) the app has received the Digital Bangladesh Award-2021. DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam received the award on behalf of the acting mayor Jamal Mostafa and CEO Selim Reza.
When asked, DNCC public relations officer Abul Basar Mohammad Tajul Islam told that DNCC has launched the Citizen Engagement Management Platform (Sabar Dhaka App) with the aim of delivering citizen services to the people. Through this app, the citizens in the areas covered by DNCC can report the problems in their area. Besides, you can give advice to build a healthy, vibrant and modern Dhaka.