VMC services now available via TV

VIJAYAWADA: A host of civic services are now available to the Vijayawada citizens at the touch of a telephone button as the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has tied up with the SitiCable Network to take e-governance to the people.
The VMC has thus become a pioneer in the state in offering e-governance through an interactive process. By tuning in to the Siti e-governance TV channel on the SitiCable Network, one can access information on a variety of services by dialling up the telephone number mentioned and following the instructions in Telugu/English.
Once the Siti e-governance number is dialled, the channel gets hooked on to the VMC main server on which relevant information is available.
“This is a revolutionary effort in bringing government services to the reach of the common people through a user-friendly medium. The Siti e-governance project will enable people to access/receive the best services from the VMC,’’ mayor P Anuradha and commissioner Praveen Prakash told The Times of India. The Siti-e-governance project eliminates the need to run around the municipal office to get a birth or death certificate, building plan, tax verification, tenders details and other requirements as information is made available on the television channel.
By placing a request for a birth or death certificate through the channel, one can get the certificates delivered at one’s doorstep without having to visit the VMC office.
Of the 10 lakh people residing in the city, only 4,000 houses have computers with Internet access while about 1.4 lakh houses have a telephone and cable television connection. Though these services are available on the VMC website www.ourvmc.org, its reach is limited to those having access to computer and the Internet. The Siti e-governance is, however, widely available.
Dynamic information about the officials and staff in various VMC departments is also available on the channel with contact telephone numbers. The status of complaints on various civic problems too can be obtained on the television channel. The SitiCable Network has designed the project with technical assistance from RK Master Netcom Services Private Limited.