Dikhyaa Mohanty 
By agreeing to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the creation of intelligent apps, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made a big step in digitizing citizen services. The project, which was started in partnership with IndusInd Bank and PeLocal Fintech Private Limited, offers a WhatsApp chatbot application to make it easier for city dwellers to access municipal services. The MoU signing event was attended by Mayor Sulochana Das and BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, along with other dignitaries and stakeholders.
The WhatsApp Chatbot Application will serve as a dedicated digital platform for residents to conveniently access and manage services such as:
- Payment of property taxes and trade licenses.
- Collection of user fees for services like birth and death certificates.
- Lodging and resolving grievances.
Mayor Sulochana Das emphasized the importance of smart solutions in fostering better community participation, stating, “BMC is committed to providing better facilities for citizens through innovative technology.”
Along with the chatbot, BMC has created a Market and Vending Zone Rental Collection Application in collaboration with IndusInd Bank and Emertech RND Solutions Private Limited. The goal of this software is to increase the efficiency and transparency of municipal operations by streamlining the rental collection procedure from markets and vending zones. “Apps like WhatsApp, which are familiar to citizens, can engage people meaningfully and address their requirements efficiently,” said BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, highlighting the projects’ user-friendly character. These initiatives show how to solve public problems in a community-driven manner.
