Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has launched a 24x7 helpline number, where residents of Bengaluru can seek information on the civic body and COVID-19 related queries. The helpline number is 1533. In a public notice, the BBMP announced that people in the city can also use this single helpline number to access assistance and lodge complaints on any civic issues.
According to the BBMP, the new helpline number was created to simplify the process, as there are different helpline numbers for various grievances. Earlier, the process was cumbersome as citizens had to call ‘1912’ for assistance and complaints about the BBMP and get information about COVID-19. For other BBMP related information and complaints, people had to call ‘9480685700’ or ‘22660000’.
According to the notice, upon calling the ‘1533’ helpline, the caller can dial ‘1’ for any COVID-19 related assistance and they can dial ‘2’ to express other non-COVID-19 grievances.
The notice further highlighted the key COVID-19 related assistance, which includes information about vaccination and testing centers, request to block beds, information about COVID-19 Care Centers and Physical Triage Centers, information about home isolation and quarantine, detailed information about BBMP Primary Health Centers (PHC), and information about ambulance and hearse van service, among other COVID-19 related information.
The notice stated that each call will come under a ticket number system. This means that when a caller raises an issue, he or she will be given a ticket number and once the issue is sorted, the ticket number will get disabled. Additionally, the BBMP, in the notice, stated that each call will be recorded, including the reason for the call, time of the call and whether the issue stated was resolved.
Earlier, the BBMP had developed an app called Sahaya where citizens can register their grievances. The app is a unified platform where the people in Bengaluru could register their grievances on all public utilities in the city, including the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).