GCC – How to File a Complaint to Greater Chennai Corporation?

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is the oldest municipal corporation in India and is governed by the Madras Municipal Corporation Act of 1919. GCC is an urban self-governing municipal corporation (constitutional provision under the 74th constitutional amendment of 1992) in Chennai. It ensures that infrastructure (town planning & administration) and facilities of the basic public utilities and civic-body services are available for the residents.

The Municipal Corporation of Chennai is divided into 15 administrative zones and 200 divisions. It shares the 426 sq. KM area of the Coromandal coastal region in Chennai on the northern end of Tamil Nadu. The estimated population that comes under the GCC area is 7.1 Million who are the intrinsic part of this Municipal Corporation to get the benefits of the citizen-centric services.

The List of Administrative Zones of Greater Chennai Corporation:

The major public utilities and services of the GCC are streetlights, Water/electricity supply, public toilets, garbage management (solid waste), public health services, drainage & sewerage, building plan permissions, Vendor registration, Public toilets management, basic public infrastructure development & maintenance, etc. For the issues of such services, you may file a complaint to the respective departments of the GCC using the citizen helplines.

Public Services of the Departments That Most Citizens Have to Face:

• Health – For Hospitals, availability of doctors, sanitation, cleanliness, unhygienic foods, birth/death registration, PHCs, cleanliness & hygiene in public toilets, and other health-related issues
• Revenue – Property tax payment, any bill or payment for the public utilities or citizen-centric services (vendor, building approval, application, etc.).
• Education – Maintenance of municipal school building, availability of teachers, water, sanitation & toilet facilities related issues.
• Town Planning, Buildings and Land & Estates – For infrastructure development, management of roads (repair & build new roads), building approval, an inspection of buildings, planning and management of the town’s physical public infrastructures and buildings, etc.
• Electrical – Streetlight repair, electricity in municipal buildings and colonies that come under GCC, repair & management of road lights, etc.
• Roads – maintenance of roads, repair the potholes, construction of new roads, etc.
• Bridges & Parks – Development and management of parks, building and maintenance of bridges in the municipal regions, cleanliness in parks, managing the basic infrastructure in parks, etc.
• Solid Waste Management & Storm Water Drain – Management of the solid waste (garbage), to ensure the vehicle is available for the pick up of solid waste, cleaning the roads, and management of drainage system (sewerage) & water flow, etc.
• Water Supply – To ensure the supply of water, repair the leaks in main pipelines, meter correction, to protect from extra usage of water, water tanks, etc.
• Others – Any issues related to the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Special Projects, Finance, Legal Cell, and Small Savings.

If you have any issues with these services within the jurisdiction zones of the Municipal Corporation of Chennai then citizens may use the toll-free helpline numbers and contact details of the nodal officers of the respective zones to register a complaint. You may also file an online complaint via the GCC portal or mobile app.

Citizens may also write an application to the zonal heads of the concerned divisions or the administrative head of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Remember that the supporting evidence and documents should be attached to the complaint application and also provide hints of the evidence in the brief description.

Note – If not satisfied or problems are not redressed within the time limit as specified in the citizen charter of GCC then you may escalate the grievance to the Public Grievance Cell or Commissioner/Mayor by e-mail or writing an application with reference to the previous complaint.

How to File a Complaint to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC)?

The administration of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) ensures that each citizen should get faster and more transparent delivery of public services without any interruption or abuse of power by any officers/employees. For this, the Municipal corporation has adopted e-governance, which is a way that eliminates many hurdles to provide the speedy redressal of the issues related to citizen-centric public services.

Complaint Registration Fee & Redressal Timeline:

To know more, read the citizen charter of the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Any resident of Chennai can use the integrated public grievance redressal system of GCC to file a complaint about the public services and development works offered by the corporation. You may use any available method to report your concerns to the respective department or nodal officers of the zone or head office.

The Ways to File Complaint to GCC:

• Citizen Helpline Number of GCC
• File an Online Complaint
• Vigilance Office – Anti-Corruption Department
• Public Grievance Cell – (If Issues are Unresolved)

These are the ways, you may call the concerned officers by using the toll-free citizen helpline number or the contact number of the zonal designated officers. The easiest way for the resident is to file an online complaint using the portal or mobile app of GCC.

If you desire, may write a physical application to the nodal officers of the respective departments of the zonal offices or may approach the commissioner or Mayor at the head office of the municipal corporation.

For unethical practices (corruption, harassment, etc.) or misuse of power by any employee/officer, you may report to the Chief Vigilance Officer (anti-corruption department) of the state vigilance department.

Sexual Harassment Redressal Cell – If you are facing any form of sexual harassment by any employee/officer of the Greater Chennai Corporation then you may file a complaint or report to the appointed official members of the Internal Complaints Committee of the Sexual Harassment Redressal Cell for Women, GCC within 3 months of the last incident.

Note – If not satisfied or complaints are not redressed/resolved within the given time limit by the officials or exceed the timeline (as per the citizen charter), may lodge a grievance to the Public Grievance Cell of the Public Relation Department or the appointed officer. You may also write or e-mail to the Mayor or Commissioner with the evidence and proof of the non-redressal of the previous complaints.

For detailed information about the complaint redressal procedure and the ways that any citizen may use if the problems are not resolved by any higher official authorities. Follow instructions step by step to ensure the resolution of your critical issues.

GCC Helpline Number

If any resident is facing issues with the services like public utilities (water, electricity, health, etc.), solid waste management, and other citizen-centric civic body services then you may use the toll-free citizen helpline numbers and WhatsApp number of the Great Chennai Corporation. You may also call the centralised helpline numbers of the zonal control rooms to raise your concerns.

For successful registration of your complaints, provide the following information to the representative officer:

• Name, address, and contact details (if asked)
• Description of the issue (also mention the reference of evidence & proof)
• Address of the grievance location (if required).

After successful registration, ask for the complaint/reference number to track the status and use it for future usage as proof.

The Citizen Helpline Number of GCC (Municipal Corporation of Chennai) to File a Complaint:

GCC Control Room Helpline Numbers:

Important Complaint & Helpline Numbers of GCC:

Note – If not satisfied or issues are not redressed within the time limit by the officers then file an online complaint or escalate/lodge a grievance to the Public Grievance Cell, Mayor/Commissioner, or nodal officers of the respective departments of the municipal corporation.

May be Helpful – TANGEDCO: Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited, TNEBLTD

Contact Numbers of Nodal Officers of the Departments

You may use these contact numbers of the nodal officers of the respective departments to file a complaint about the services of the concerned departments of the GCC. Call the officers to raise your concern with the appropriate evidence and provide an accurate description of the problem to get faster redressal. Don’t forget to get the reference/acknowledgement number/receipt of your submitted grievance.

The Contact Numbers of the Nodal Officers of the Departments to Redress the Complaints Related to:

I. Birth & Death Details & Trade License:

II. Hospitals and Maternity Centres:

III. Property and Professional Tax:

IV. Cleaning of Roads & Public Streets, Solid Waste Management (SWM):

V. Schools & Education Facilities & Infrastructure:

VI. Repair or Non-Burning of Streetlight:

VII. Road Maintenance & Repair:

Zonal Executive Engineer Contact Numbers (Road Maintenance):

VIII. Building Permission and Approval Related:

IX. Plant Purchase or Removal of Wind Fallen Trees & Park Management:

X. Booking of Corporation Stadiums/ Marina Swimming Pools:

To know more, check the complaint phone numbers of the nodal officers at the portal of the municipal corporation of Chennai.

Contact Council Members of GCC: E-mail, Phone No. & Contact Details

The official contact numbers, e-mail, and other details (address) of the Council Members of Greater Chennai Corporation are listed below to seek help for unredressed or unsatisfactory responses to the submitted complaints.

I. Mayor, GCC:

II. Deputy Mayor, GCC:

You may contact on these numbers of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor or e-mail your concerns with the reference number and evidence of the previously unresolved complaint or unsatisfactory responses.

Tips – Before this, you may file an online complaint to the respective department to resolve your issues.

File an Online Complaint

Greater Chennai Corporation has an integrated grievance redressal portal that can be used by the residents to raise issues about public services like water supply, electricity, drainage, parks & physical infrastructure, roads, etc. You may file an online complaint to save your time and effort to get faster redressal of your issues from the respective departments of the municipal corporation.

You may also write an application to the nodal officers of the concerned division, zonal offices, or head office of GCC but it will take longer time and you will have to face many hurdles to track the status of the redressal of the problem. So, it will be beneficial to raise a concern by filing an online complaint to GCC via the portal or mobile app.

The Links of GCC to File an Online Complaint:

Note – If issues are not resolved or unsatisfactory responses from the officers of concerned departments of GCC then you may escalate or lodge a grievance to the Public Grievance Cell/Nodal Grievance Officer of the Public Relation/Administration Department of Greater Chennai Corporation. Further, you may e-mail or write an application to the Mayor/Commissioner of the council at the head office.

Procedure

The instruction and steps to fill out and file an online complaint without making any mistakes:

Step 1: Visit the link from the table above to register an online complaint about the services of the municipal corporation of Chennai.

Step 2: Open the online complaint form and fill out the following mandatory information of complainant & grievance:

• Complainant Details – Enter the details of the complaining person like mobile number (verify OTP), Name, address, e-mail (optional), etc.
• Complaint Location – Select the area, locality, and street then enter the address of the specific location.
• Complaint Types – Select a category of the listed issues, enter the title of the complaint, and provide a brief description of the issue along with hints of evidence & attached proof.
• Upload (Photograph/Video) – Attach the supporting documents, video of the incident or issue, and photograph (if any). You may also attach other proof to represent the case more strongly.

Step 3: If you don’t want to reveal your name and contact details then choose the Anonymous registration option. Finally, submit the online form and note down the complaint/reference number to track the status. Keep it safe for future usage as evidence of submission.

Step 4: Visit the link from the table above to track the status of the registered complaint and enter the reference number.

If your issues are not resolved within the given time limit as per the citizen charter of GCC then you may escalate or file a grievance to the PG Cell and higher nodal authorities.

Citizen-Centric Services

Citizens may use some important online services of the Municipal Corporation of Chennai like paying online bills of water, property tax, etc. Also, apply for some services/certificates like birth & death certificate, building approval, vendor registration, trade license, etc.

Links to Pay Online Bills/Payments of GCC:

Use Some Important Online Services of GCC:

For more details and services of the GCC in Chennai, visit the link for all the citizen-centric services from the table above and access the online services as per your requirements.

Public Grievance Cell, GCC

The Public Grievance Cell is the higher grievance redressal authority in the Greater Chennai Corporation. If your previously registered complaints are not resolved within the time limit or not satisfied with the final responses/resolution provided by the nodal officers of the respective departments of the municipal corporation then you may write a grievance application or e-mail to the nodal officers (Commissioner) of the Public Grievance Cell, GCC.

If you are writing an application then mention the following information and submit it to the grievance registration counter of the head office (headquarters) or may send it by post.

• Name, contact number, and address of the complainant
• Reference/complaint number of the previously registered complaint
• Description of the issue with hints of evidence and responses of the officers (if any).
• Attach the supporting documents, evidence, and copy of the response (if any).

Send the grievance application to Commissioner at:

Address: The Commissioner,
Greater Chennai Corporation, Ripon Building, EVR Salai, Chennai-600003.
Phone No: +914425619200, +914425381330
E-mail: commissioner@chennaicorporation.gov.in

Note – After the successful submission of your grievance form, ask for the acknowledgment receipt as proof of the submitted application. If you have sent it by post then wait 5 days for the receipt.

Lodge an Online Grievance, IIPGCMS

You may also lodge an online grievance to the Department of Urban Development, Government of Tamil Nadu by the IIPGCMS (Integrated and Inclusive Public Grievance CM Helpline Management System) portal.

If your issues are not redressed or not satisfied with the responses of the higher authority (Commissioner of the GCC) then you may lodge a grievance at this portal.

Visit the link to submit your issues with the reference number of the previously registered complaint to the Greater Chennai Corporation and also attach the responses (if any) along with supportive documents, images, or any other attachments.

Lodge Online Grievance to IIPGCMS: File a Grievance

You may also call the toll-free helpline number 1100 to submit your grievance to the Nodal officers of IIPGCMS. After the successful submission of your grievance, note down the grievance ID/reference number to track the status and further usage.

Note – If not satisfied then you may e-mail appealcmhelpline@tn.gov.in to file an appeal (petition) to review the decision/response provided by the grievance officer. If you desire, further you may approach any respective tribunal or legal authority of Tamil Nadu to raise your unredressed or unsatisfactory grievance or case.

Tips – If you want to seek information about any department or services of the GCC then file an RTI to access the required information.

Vigilance Office, GCC

The Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) is the nodal officer whom you can report or file a complaint about unethical practices by any officer/employee like corruption, asking bribery, harassment, threatening, or misuse of power, etc.

Download the Complaint proforma/Form: Download

You may write a complaint application, call on the helpline numbers of the appointed anti-corruption officer, or e-mail some proof (documents, images, video, etc.) to the CVO of the Vigilance Department of Greater Chennai Corporation. Send the application at:

Address: Vigilance Officer, Vigilance Cell,
Greater Chennai Corporation, Ripon Building, Chennai-600003.
Phone No: +919445190748, +914425368073, +914425619297
E-mail: vo@chennaicorporation.gov.in

If you desire, may report to the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Tamil Nadu. For this send the application or e-mail at:

Address: Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption,
Main Block No.293, MKN Road, Collectors Nagar, Alandur, Chennai–600016.
Phone No: +914422321090, +914422321085
E-mail: dvac@nic.in, spccrdvac.tnpol@gov.in
Website: www.dvac.tn.gov.in

Tips – If not satisfied then you may report or escalate this issue to the State Vigilance Commissioner or Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and further to the designated Lokayukta of Tamil Nadu.

The List of Major Issues That Can Be Redressed

The list of some major issues that citizens/residents of Chennai face with the public utilities and citizen-centric services of the Municipal Corporation of Chennai. You may raise the complaints to get redressal of these issues within the given timeline.

• Water/Electricity and Streetlight:
  • Streetlight – Request for new street lights or report burning of street light in daytime or non-burning, damage to the electric pole or shifting of the pole, electric shock due to street light, or overhead cable wires running in a haphazard manner related issues.
  • Water/Electricity – Report the complaints related to drinking water supply, overflow of sewerage water, water mixed with sewerage/drainage, electricity Shock or unavailability of power supply, fallen EB cables or poles/ towers/ hoardings/ other infrastructure, etc. issues.
• Public Toilets:
  • Complaints regarding the cleanliness of toilets in shopping complexes/theatres, tree usage of public toilets, choking of toilets, or other issues related to public toilets.
  • Report the no electricity or no water supply in the public toilets, issues of open defecation, public toilet blockage, or lack of cleanliness within the public toilets.
• Tax and License:
  • Complaints related to professional tax payment, property tax (billing, revisions, etc.), trade license (approval, payment, etc.), general revision objection, online payment issues, and other problems of the trade & license department.
• Solid Waste Management & Garbage:
  • Report if absenteeism of door-to-door garbage collector, sweepers, found a broken bin, burning of garbage by any person or at dumping ground, improper sweeping, nuisance by garbage tractor/truck, etc.
  • Request for the cleaning of the water table, removal of debris or garbage, shifting of garbage Bin, spilling of garbage from Lorry, or other related to management/ collection of garbage.
  • Register a complaint regarding the Garbage Lorry without a Net, overflowing garbage bin, provision of garbage bin, or other issues related to the solid waste management in your area within the jurisdiction of Chennai Municipal Corporation.
• Public Health, COVID-19, and Air Quality:
  • Request for the biomedical waste/ health hazard waste removal or complaint about the mismanagement of the biomedical & hazardous waste by the hospitals or issues regarding Plastics, CDH, corporation hospitals, laboratory issues, or non-availability of Doctors & medicines.
  • Complaints regarding unhygienic Restaurants, quality of food in hotels, issues with roadside eateries, or other issues related to the quality of the food (vendor, street food, etc.).
  • Issues regarding the schemes like Amma Nutrition Kit for pregnant women, Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme (MRMBS), Amma Baby Care Kits (After delivery), Janani Suraksha Yojana Scheme (JSY), etc.
  • Report if the issues like mosquito menace, public health, Dengue, Malaria, Gastro Enteritis, the fly menace from dumping grounds, or illegal draining of sewage to SWD/open sites arise in your area/zones.
  • Report about the issues related to stray cattle, stray pigs or dogs, death of stray animals, and nuisance smell of transfer station.
  • File complaints related to slaughterhouses, illegal slaughtering, unauthorized sale of meat and meat products, and unhygienic & improper transport of meat and livestock within the Chennai metropolitan city.
• Park & Playground:
  • Complaints regarding centre median, park, playground, traffic island, obstruction of trees, removal of fallen trees, unauthorized tree cutting, or other issues related to the management of parks & grounds that come under the municipal corporation.
• Building Plan Permission:
  • Report the issues related to the sanctioning of the building plan, unauthorized/ illegal construction, violation of DCR/building by-laws, and other problems related to the building approval or plan permission.
• Voter ID:
  • Report the issues related to change of address in the Electoral Roll, complaints regarding the Voter list, requests for inclusion, deletion, correction in the Voter list, Issuance of new Voter ID, Name error (wrong spelling) or your name not found in the Electoral Roll.
• General:
  • Complaints related to schools, bridges/ flyovers/ subways, burial grounds, community halls, any other CoC building, shopping complex, or issue of all types of registration certificates issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation.
  • Report the encroachment on public property, requests for food requirements, issue of birth and death certificates, parking Issues, or poor quality of work (public property or public infrastructure, or non-compliance of laws & guidelines to construct a building).
  • Request to GCC for the requirement of a relief centre in Chennai city, sanction of financial assistance under Moovalaur Thirumana Thittam, or report the slow progress of work and unauthorized advertisement boards.
  • Other issues or complaints that come under the GCC jurisdiction.
• Road and Footpath:
  • Request for the Formation of New Road, to provide new footpath, relaying of Road, repairs to the existing footpath, removal of shops in the footpath. Report the issues related to illegal parking on the footpath, milling/scraping of the road before relaying of the road, or potholes fill up/ repairs to the damaged surface to the Department of Road Maintenance.
• Water Stagnation & Storm Water Drains:
  • Request to the Drainage & Sewerage Department for the covering manholes of stormwater drains, desilting of canal/ drain, or disposal of removed silt on the road to get redressal of these issues.
  • Also approach for the construction of the new drain, to resolve the obstruction of water flow, repairs to a stormwater drain, or report the stagnation of water within your area.

Frequently Asked Questions about GCC

Q. What is the citizen helpline number of the Greater Chennai Corporation?
A. The toll-free citizen helpline number of GCC is 1913 and the helpline numbers of the control room are +914425384520, +914425384530, and +914425384540 which you can use to file a complaint to the respective departments.

Q. Where can I approach if my complaints are not resolved by the nodal officers of the respective departments of the Municipal Corporation of Chennai?
A. You may write an application or lodge a grievance to the Public Grievance Cell or Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Further, you may lodge an online grievance to the Department of Urban Development at the IIPGCMS portal of the government of Tamil Nadu.

Q. Where can I report the unethical or corrupt practices of the employees or officers of the GCC?
A. You may report to the Chief Vigilance Officer by calling the helpline number +919445190748 or e-mail vo@chennaicorporation.gov.in to the Department of Vigilance, GCC. Further, you may file a complaint to the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Tamil Nadu by using the helpline number +914422321090 or e-mailing dvac@nic.in with accurate information.

Reference

• Rules and procedure – GCC
• About Greater Chennai Corporation
• Administrative Chart of GCC
• Citizen Charter, Revenue Department of GCC
• Tamil Nadu CM Helpline FAQs