COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has outsourced social media activities like publishing updates about development work and grievances voiced by people. The move has been criticised by the opposition AIADMK.
The civic body has awarded the work to Zhocos Pvt Ltd for monthly charges of Rs 99,120. CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said the decision to outsource the responsibilities was taken due to manpower shortage and workload on the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) officials under the Public Relations Office (PRO).
“Given the expanding role of social media in public engagement, it was necessary to bring in external support to effectively manage the tasks and respond promptly to the public,” the commissioner said.
S Prabhakaran, AIADMK floor leader in the CCMC council, has criticised this decision. He said the DIPR officials could manage social media, and there was no need to outsource the work.
“Spending nearly Rs 1 lakh every month on a private agency is unnecessary, as the existing department could handle the work if properly utilised,” Prabhakaran said. He added that outsourcing was a waste of public funds and highlighted the financial strain on the civic body.
Despite the criticism, CCMC is firm in its decision. The civic body’s growing reliance on social media to connect with the public reflects a broader trend of local governments adapting to digital platforms for better public service delivery and transparency.