Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) will host grievance redressal meetings across all 15 zones of the city on Saturday, August 8, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. These sessions are part of the board’s sustained citizen engagement initiative held every second Saturday of the month. Each meeting will be chaired by the superintending engineer of the respective zone, with the objective of directly addressing public concerns related to drinking water supply, sewage maintenance, rainwater harvesting and billing-related matters.
The area offices of all 15 zones will serve as the venues for these consultations, allowing residents to bring forward petitions for new connections, water tax grievances, or service complaints without bureaucratic delay. According to senior officials at CMWSSB, the redressal initiative is being treated as a cornerstone of responsive governance. The format enables real-time dialogue between engineers and citizens, bridging service delivery gaps while promoting transparency and accountability. Officials have stated that grievances presented during the meetings are being recorded digitally and forwarded to appropriate departments for prompt action, thereby eliminating traditional follow-up delays.
Given the rapid urbanisation of Chennai and rising climate-related pressures on water infrastructure, such decentralised grievance redressal frameworks are critical to maintaining service equity. Experts say the board’s zonal model not only ensures geographical coverage but also embeds problem-solving within local contexts, thus improving institutional responsiveness. In past sessions, the CMWSSB has witnessed significant turnout in zones that face chronic issues related to pipeline leakages, sewage overflow, and seasonal disruptions in water supply. Residents from peripheral zones such as Sholinganallur and Madhavaram have frequently used these meetings to raise concerns over delayed connections and poor drainage facilities. The board claims several of these complaints have already been resolved through targeted micro-projects.
Urban governance observers have welcomed the continuity of such monthly grievance platforms but emphasise the need for sustained follow-up and regular reporting of resolutions. Some have recommended the creation of a dashboard or online tracker where citizens can monitor the status of their grievances post-submission. The August 8 session also comes at a time when the city is preparing for the northeast monsoon, making stormwater drainage and sewage backflow management key discussion points. The CMWSSB has encouraged residents to utilise the meeting to seek clarity on any planned maintenance or emergency preparedness efforts.
By institutionalising a two-way dialogue format at the zonal level, the Chennai Metro Water Board is taking a participatory approach to infrastructure management, signalling a shift towards people-centric service delivery in urban public utilities.
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