CHENNAI: A week after the Election Commission of India launched the C-Vigil app, which enables public to flag model code of conduct violations, election officials are still vetting the app for glitches and shortcomings. While end-users are able to file complaints, officials are yet to effectively transfer complaints to the teams on the ground through the app and monitor progress.
The app allows the public to post live pictures and videos of violations. These complaints go to the command centre, where officials are supposed to assign flying squads patrolling the area within a span of five minutes. The flying squads on checking the area for the violation, rectify it and report it to an official not below the rank of a revenue divisional officer.
This entire process is supposed to be completed within 100 minutes and through the app. However, presently, officials manning the command centre are alerting flying squads about complaints through a phone call and not through the app. “We have alerted the ECI that there is no provision to assign flying squads complaints directly,” said a senior election official, claiming that the current system of alerting complaints via phone won’t be feasible, once campaign begins and complaint traffic increases.
District election officials are also not able to access resolutions given for complaints by the RDOs. “The ECI said that senior monitoring officers will be able to follow the resolutions given to complaints. But even the District Election Officer’s login isn’t able to monitor the cases using the app,” said a senior election official, explaining how the app’s effectiveness will decrease if there isn’t any central monitoring.
Technical personnel working to resolve the app’s shortcomings also expressed their inability to provide a quick fix. “The app’s servers are in New Delhi. We can just forward our complaints to them and wait for action,” said one worker. It is learnt that a total of 17 complaints were lodged in the first week. “There were complaints about posters, banners and uncovered statues,” said the official, claiming only five or six complaints were genuine.