The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Corpn. web site yet to be updated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Corpn. web site yet to be updated

By S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI, AUG. 3. The Tiruchi Corporation, the first in the State to introduce an e-governance system, still plods heavily on the information highway, if its web site is any indication.

Glaring gaffes in the absence of regular updating has made www.trichycorporation.com a poor reflection on the Corporation's much touted status of being a pioneer in using information technology for better urban civic governance.

Apparently the Corporation has failed to put in place a system for updating the web site launched as part of the World Bank-aided e-governance project in March last year, with the aim of providing "online services" to the residents.

No mention of new Commissioner

Perhaps, the most conspicuous faux pas in the web site should leave the newly appointed Commissioner, Harmander Singh, stumped. For, the "who's who" section still proudly introduces Anand Patil, who was transferred a couple of months ago, as the Commissioner. Along with his photograph, the web site gives Mr. Patil's bio-data. Even after a couple of weeks after Mr. Singh assumed charge, the authorities have failed to make the necessary changes.

A photo section features several old photographs of Mr. Patil inspecting development works. The section on "Mayor's and Commissioner's Visits" still carries the older pictures of former Commissioners and Collectors.

Still worse, the late S. Masia Pillai, who represented ward no. 14 in the Corporation Council, still finds a place (along with his photograph) in the list of councillors. Masia Pillai died in July last year, and P.R. Karuppiah has since been elected to the council in the by-elections.

More surprises, shocks

More surprises, rather shocks, are in store for visitors who continue to browse the web site. The gap in updating the web site becomes obvious, as it still provides only details of the Corporation Budget for 2003-04 even four months after the civic body passed this year's budget. Almost the entire Budget of 2003-04, the "new schemes" and associated information are carried in full. But one could hardly get any information about the latest budget.

Interestingly, a proposal for setting up a satellite bus stand off the Karur By-pass Road, which the Corporation has declared as shelved, is highlighted as one of the projects on the anvil.

While the residents are repeatedly told to make use of the online system for paying taxes, taxpayers could not even get a full list of the banks where taxes could be paid through the online system. The list of "online banks" cites only 12 bank branches, while the service is actually available in 18 branches, besides the special counters at the Corporation zonal offices. The web site makes no mention of even the opening of a fully computerised service centre in the Corporation office last month.

The web site, designed and maintained by a private agency, does not say when it was last updated, though it indicates that it has had 68,200 visitors so far. But indications are that the web site has seen very few updates (except for details about revenue collection) ever since it was created. Obviously, having stepped into the information highway, the Corporation is struggling to keep pace with it.

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