One complaint is easy to miss. Fifty from the same street are hard to overlook.

• Closed is not the same as fixed

  In Mumbai, 93% of water complaints from 2016 to 2018 were marked closed, but action had been taken on only 47% of the closed ones.¹

• Resolved on paper

  Andhra Pradesh's grievance system marked 90% of complaints resolved. When 33,538 of those complainants were surveyed, 22% said they were satisfied.²

• It happens in Chennai too

  Residents have described complaints closed with a photo of a different place, and reopened only to be closed again without a fix.³

This rarely needs bad intent. Greater Chennai Corporation received 1,212 rain complaints in 24 hours on 21 October 2026. With that volume, a complaint that looks small gets treated as small.⁴

• Officials can see the scale

  In data from about 100 US cities, requests where officials could see other residents following and commenting were about twice as likely to be closed, and closed up to 5 days sooner. Officials said it helped them judge how serious a problem was.⁵

• Real problems stand out

  A single complaint can be a mistake, a repeat of one already filed, an old problem that was fixed, or now and then a false report. When several residents who live nearby confirm the same problem, the department can trust it before sending anyone out, and fewer field visits go to complaints that turn out to be nothing.

• The official channel works

  In a Calgary field experiment, filing a request through the city's official system raised the chance a problem was fixed within 3 to 10 days by about 26 percentage points, in richer and poorer neighbourhoods alike.⁶

• Neighbours can confirm the fix

  Asking the people who live with a problem is what showed the gap between 'resolved' and fixed in Andhra Pradesh. Since October 2026, Chennai's field engineers must also upload before and after photos before closing a complaint.^2,4

• Each fix brings more reports

  On the UK's FixMyStreet, people whose first report got a response were 54 to 57% more likely to report again. A street that sees results keeps telling the department what needs doing.⁷

1. 01

   File through the official channel, and keep the number

   Use the department's WhatsApp, helpline, app or website. The complaint number is what every later step refers to.

2. 02

   Share the number with your neighbours

   Ask others affected to mention the same complaint number when they call or write. Ten separate complaints about one pothole look like ten small problems. One complaint backed by ten households looks like what it is.

3. 03

   Keep it to the facts

   Say where it is, since when, who it affects, and add a photo. Refer to officials by role, never by name, and leave party politics out. A letter that is easy to read is easy to act on.

4. 04

   If it is closed without a fix, reopen it

   In the Namma Chennai app, the second reopen goes to the Zonal Officer and the third to the Regional Deputy Commissioner.⁸

5. 05

   Raise it at your Area Sabha

   Each Chennai ward has about 10 Area Sabhas, which are meant to meet four times a year. A problem raised there is written into the minutes, and several residents from one street carry weight.^9,10

6. 06

   If nothing moves, ask what was done

   A Right to Information request costs Rs 10 and asks what action was taken on your complaint number. The office must reply within 30 days.¹¹

• Helpful, not hostile

  Engineers and ward officers are the people who fix the problem. A clear count and a clear record help them decide what comes first, and help them justify the work.

• About the problem, not the person

  No names, no blame, no personal remarks. A record of what is broken and since when says enough.

• Non-partisan

  A pothole is not a political issue. Keeping parties out keeps the focus on the street.

• Honest numbers

  Each resident counts once, and only for problems that affect them. A smaller true number is worth more than a large inflated one.

• Neighbours whose home or work is near a problem add a "me too" with one tap, instead of filing it again.
• Only verified voters can post or add a me too, one account per person, and only for problems within their reach. A count cannot be padded, and a false complaint does not gather support.
• Before anyone posts, Kural shows similar complaints nearby, so one problem stays one complaint with one count.
• At 10 me-toos, or 3 for serious problems, the complaint goes to the department in public with the count attached.
• When it is marked fixed, the neighbours are asked whether it really is, and a majority can reopen it.