Amaravati: Technical glitches mar NIGHA app

Amaravati: Apart from failure of the government as well as State Election Commission (SEC) in created awareness among people on using the NIGHA mobile app, technical problems have been hindering its use by people. The app is launched to receive complaints on the violation of Model Code of Conduct for local bodies elections. The poor response from the Android-based mobile users could be visible on the Google Playstore, where the application is available. Even after the code has come in to force and notifications issued for all the local bodies, people seems to have not shown interest in using the app, launched on March 7 by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. It was developed by the panchayat raj department.

Only around 10,000 users downloaded the app as on Tuesday from the Google Playstore. Of them, more than 50 per cent downloads could be the officials who engaged in the election duties. That means the actual users could be around 5,000 to 6,000 only. This is the only mobile app which got such poor response from the citizens, observed, K Shiva Sankar, a mobile expert.

There are only three features available in the app, including photo uploading, video sharing and voice transferring on the election malpractices.

One of the app user, S M N S Srinivas, said that he could not register on the app. He said that he was from Guntur urban area.

He suggested the App developers to allow the Guntur Urban citizens to access the app so they could also contribute to efforts to conduct free and fair elections.

Another user, Rajasekhar Tandra, said that Akkivaram pahcnayat in Amadalavalasa mandal in Srikakulam district is not seen in the app to complete his registration procedure. Vamsi Palisetti suggested to the developers to add all the panchayats and other areas in the app.

Though the idea is good, the technical glitches were defeating the basic purpose, he said in his review.

Manoahar Reddy said that he could not get the One Time Password (OTP) to complete his registration. Sudha Bonda criticised that using the app was a waste of time.

Only 62 persons reacted on the app on the Google Playstore and gave 4.4 rating to it. But, the mobile app developers and technicians did not answer to any comment from the citizens, showing the carelessness of the technical team of the Election Commission, observed K Srinivasa Rao, a resident of Guntur town.

"NIGHA app is made available to empower citizens to report any violations of Model Code of Conduct in local body elections in a bid to crack down on electoral malpractices. NIGHA app aims at free and fair elections by helping administration in curbing all the violations like the use of money and alcohol in the local body elections," the authorities claimed in their introduction to the app.

"As soon as the complaint is registered on NIGHA app, an unique number is generated and allotted to the complaint and it is immediately flashes to the authorities concerned, for immediate necessary action as per the election rules and ensures fairness and impartiality in the conduct of the poll.

A unique feature of this measure is that NIGHA App is available round-the-clock and all the complaints will be attended to by dedicated staff," it is explained on the app store.

The NIGHA app is made in such a way that every citizen will have to enter his mobile number for getting access to the app and register his complaint and the status will be updated immediately on acting on it.

All the privacy details of the citizen who is registering the details will be secure and will not be revealed to anybody, thereby everybody will feel secure in accessing this app for ensuring free and fair election, informed the election officials.