BMC, Bhopal: How to Register a Complaint to Bhopal Municipal Corporation?

Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) also known as Nagar Palika Nigam, Bhopal (नगर पालिका निगम, भोपाल) is an urban local government of Bhopal city, capital of Madhya Pradesh. BMC is recognized as a local self-governing body of tier 3 government under the 74th Amendment Act of 1992.

The municipal corporation serves as district administration in Bhopal city and provides essential citizen services including drinking water, sanitation (garbage & waste collection), public health, roads, street lights, and fire mitigation. Bhopal Nagar Nigam is divided into 21 administrative zones and 85 wards.

The list of Zones and concerned Wards of Bhopal Municipal Corporation:

The departments of BMC are:

• General Administration
• Public Health & Environment
• Public Works (Engineering)
• Power (Streetlights)
• Revenue & Finance
• Education & Social Justice
• Trade, Food & Culture
• Planning & Rehabilitation
• Disaster Management
• Social Welfare

Have complaints related to Bhopal Municipal Corporation? Yes! You can lodge a civic complaint to the concerned department of the Bhopal Nagar Nigam by calling the toll-free BMC citizen helpline number, control room number, or official contact numbers. Additionally, you may email, WhatsApp or file an online complaint to the Municipal Corporation.

Not resolved or dissatisfied? Escalate the municipal complaint to the Head of the Department (HOD) or Deputy Municipal Commissioner, BMC. Further, you can escalate the grievance to the Municipal Commissioner or Mayor at the Public Grievance Cell of Nagar Palika Nigam Bhopal.

How to File a Complaint to Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC)?

According to the citizen charter of Bhopal Nagar Nigam, the grievance redressal mechanism for municipal complaints is divided into 3 levels. Citizens can raise concerns related to civic services to designated officers at level 1 and if not resolved then escalate it to the next level.

Complaint Resolution Fee:

3 Levels of lodging complaints:

• Level 1: Designated Officers, Bhopal Municipal Corporation
  • Toll-free Citizen Helpline Number
  • Email & WhatsApp
  • Online complaint registration
  • Write a complaint letter
• Level 2: Escalate to HOD/Deputy Municipal Commissioner, BMC (Bhopal)
• Level 3: Escalate to Municipal Commissioner/ Mayor, BMC (Bhopal)

Still not satisfied or have an unresolved complaint? You may lodge a public grievance through the MP CM Helpline (Jan Seva) to the Nodal Officer of the Public Grievance Cell of the Directorate of Urban Administration & Development, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

Level 1: Designated Officer, Bhopal Municipal Corporation

At this level, residents of Bhopal can lodge an initial complaint to the designated officer of the concerned department of Bhopal Municipal Corporation using the online/offline grievance method.

• By online method, you can use email, WhatsApp, or an online complaint form to submit your issues with BMC.
• In the offline method, call the citizen helpline number or zonal control room number to register your concerns.
• Also, you may visit the HQ Office office of Bhopal Municipal Corporation to submit a written complaint letter.

Remember to note down the reference number or ask for the acknowledgement receipt for the submitted complaint through the online or offline way of communication respectively.

While registering a complaint, must provide:

• Name, address, and contact details
• Nature of complaint
• Location with Zone/Ward No.
• A brief description of the issue with relevant facts

BMC Citizen Helpline Number

Official citizen helpline number of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to lodge a public services complaint:

Note – Have your submitted complaints not been resolved? In this situation, escalate the complaint to the Head of Department (HOD) or Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Bhopal at level 2.

File an Online Complaint

If you want to lodge your civic complaint online to the Nagar Nigam then must provide these details in the grievance form:

• Name and address of the complainant
• Location of your complaint
• Nature of complaint
• Description of the matter with supporting evidence
• Upload relevant documents as proof

You can also lodge your complaint online through MP E-Nagar Palika of Govt. of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, visit the links below to fill out the grievance form and note down the reference number.

Alternative ways to lodge a citizen complaint to BMC:

Note – Still not resolved to your satisfaction by BMC officials? You may escalate the submitted complaint to the HOD or Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the concerned department at level 2 with reference.

E-Services, BMC

Online Civic Services of BMC, Bhopal:

• Apply on the citizen portal of BMC

To pay your water bills or property taxes, and get a new water/sewerage connection from Bhopal Nagar Nigam, visit MP e-Nagar Palika (urban) to access all urban civic services at a single platform.

Level 2: HOD/Deputy Municipal Commissioner, BMC

At this level, if your lodged complaints are not redressed within the given resolution time limit by BMC officials to your satisfaction at level 1, then you can escalate the complaint to the appointed HOD (Head of Department) or Deputy Municipal Commissioner of respective departments of Bhopal Municipal Commissioner.

The grievance form must include:

• Reference number (if submitted online)
• Copy of acknowledgement receipt (if submitted offline)
• Nature of complaint
• Expected relief from the Municipal Corporation
• Copy of supporting documents, images, etc.

Write a grievance letter including these details or re-open the online submitted complaint from MP e-Nagar Palika with your reference ID to escalate the case to BMC authorities of level 2.

Note – Yet not resolved to your satisfaction within the given resolution period? You may further escalate the disputed case to the designated Municipal Commissioner and Mayor of the Nagar Nigam.

Level 3: Municipal Commissioner, Nagar Nigam Bhopal

If you are still not satisfied with the final resolution or submitted complaints are not yet resolved by the concerned Deputy Commissioner or HOD of BMC, then you should escalate the grievance to the Chief Municipal Commissioner and further to the Mayor of Bhopal Municipal Corporation at level 3. (as per the guidelines of the citizen charter)

You can do this by submitting a written grievance letter, emailing, or contacting the Public Grievance Cell of the Municipal Corporation. Additionally, you may escalate your case online by re-opening it through MP e-Nagar Palika.

Provide the following details in the grievance letter:

• Reference number or acknowledgement receipt details
• Communication details
• Location of complaint (Ward/Zone No.)
•  Nature of complaint
• Expected relief
• Description with the reason for dissatisfaction (if received a response)
• Attach supporting documents

Send the grievance letter to the designated Municipal Commissioner by post or email. You may also visit yourself to submit the complaint letter at Head Office. After submitting the form, don’t forget to take acknowledgement receipt as proof from the counter.

Note – Still not satisfied with the final order of the Nagar Nigam Bhopal? You can lodge a public grievance Nodal Officer of the Directorate of Urban Administration & Development, MP.

Appellate Authority: Directorate of Urban Administration & Development

In certain cases, if you are not satisfied with the final resolution of the Municipal Commissioner at level 3, then you can lodge a public grievance for civic services against the order of Bhopal Municipal Corporation to Nodal Officer of the Public Grievance Cell of the Directorate of Urban Administration & Development, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

You can file a public grievance to the Directorate through:

• MP e-Nagar Palika
• MP CM Helpline – Jan Seva

Note – Finally, if you are still not satisfied with the final order of the respective department of Govt. of Madhya Pradesh then you may consult with a lawyer to take legal action or know available legal remedies to redress the disputed matter. Further, you may appeal before the judicial court to resolve your case.

Category of complaints

These are categories of complaints related to civic services of the Municipal Corporation of Bhopal. You can raise your concerns to the respective department to resolve them.

1. General Administration:

• Municipal staff:  Rude or unresponsive officers, delays in government services, or lack of transparency in municipal decision-making including corruption allegations
• Public administration: Delay in civic services, departmental disputes, or complaints not resolved
• Municipal Elections: Voter registration errors (ward election), election fraud, or lack of polling station accessibility

2. Public Health & Environment:

• Sanitation and Cleanliness: Irregular garbage collection (solid waste management), overflowing public bins, or lack of public toilets and restroom facilities
• Public Health: Management of municipal hospitals & public clinics, unavailability of doctors 7 nurses, or lack of hospital facilities.
• Environmental Concerns: Air quality (due to industrial emissions), contaminated water supply, or noise pollution (construction or industries)

3. Public Works (Engineering):

• Roads and Infrastructure: Potholes causing vehicle damage, Streetlight/traffic light outages, and drainage problems including road maintenance
• Construction and Building: Unauthorized construction or encroachments, unsafe building structures, or building permits (delayed)
• Water Supply: Delay in new water connection, quality of water supply, and water billing disputes including no supply of water
• Sewerage & Drains: Rejection of sewerage connection, maintenance of sewerage lines/drainage & choked pipelines, or report an open manhole

4. Power (Streetlights):

• Streetlight: Streetlights not working, flickering or damaged streetlights on main roads, and requirement of new streetlights in poorly lit areas
• Electrical Equipment: Lights & electric equipment facilities in parks & municipal gardens, leaning service line wires, and electricity service management in municipal colonies

5. Revenue & Finance:

• Property Tax: Incorrect property tax assessments, payment of tax, and other property tax disputes
• Billings & Payments: Billing discrepancies, issues with penalties and late fees, and other payment transactions including service fees
• Financial Disputes: Misuse of municipal funds or lack of transparency in financial reporting
• Corruption: Report case of bribery demanded by any municipal staff or designated officers

6. Education & Social Justice:

• Education: Inadequate school facilities, teacher misconduct or negligence, or requests for better access to quality education with Municipal Schools of BMC
• Social Justice: Discrimination complaints in public services or accessibility of social welfare programs, and human rights violations and abuse cases
• Public Welfare: Violation of rules and laws related to public welfare

7. Trade, Food & Culture:

• Food Safety: Food poisoning from restaurants, unhygienic food establishments, or violations of food safety regulations
• Licensing: Delay in approving trade licenses, pet (dog) license issues, or disputes of business or market licenses including food license
• Cultural Events: Facilities within fairs & festival markets, Noise complaints (for loud cultural events in residential areas), damage to historical heritage sites, or disputes over cultural event permits and licenses

8. Planning & Rehabilitation:

• Urban Planning and Zoning: Land-use changes affecting neighbourhoods, violations of zoning regulations, and approval of municipal projects
• Rehabilitation scheme: Rehabilitation scheme delays, substandard housing conditions, and tenant-landlord disputes over rent and property maintenance
• Encroachment: Unauthorized construction in residential areas or public property

9. Disaster Management:

• Emergency Response: slow emergency response times, lack of access to emergency preparedness resources (flood/fire), or delayed communication during disasters
• Fire Brigade: Delay in reaching the Fire brigade at the incident location or ignorance by the fire/disaster management team

10. Social Welfare:

• Social Assistance: Delays in receiving social assistance benefits, eligibility criteria for support programs, or fraud or misuse of social welfare funds
• Welfare Schemes: Issues with PM Urban Awas Yojana (PMAY-U) and welfare schemes of Govt. of MP including Pension schemes for poor & marginalized senior citizens

FAQs

Q. What is the citizen helpline number of Bhopal Municipal Corporation?
A. Call the toll-free BMC citizen helpline number 18002330014 or 155304 to register your complaints with the Municipal Corporation. Additionally, you may WhatsApp – +919424401548 or Email support@bmconline.gov.in to Bhopal Nagar Nigam with references.

Q. Where can I escalate the complaint if my issues are not resolved to the satisfaction?
A. First, you can escalate the unresolved complaint to the HOD or Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the concerned Department of Bhopal Municipal Corporation at level 2. Further, you may escalate the grievance to the Municipal Commissioner and Mayor of BMC at level 3 of the grievance redressal mechanism.

Q. Where can I approach if my grievances are not redressed by the Municipal Corporation?
A. In this case, you can lodge a public grievance against the final order of the Bhopal Nagar Palika Nigam to the Nodal Officer of the Public Grievance Cell at the Directorate of Urban Administration & Development, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

Reference

• About – Bhopal Municipal Corporation
• General Administration – BMC