To make municipal services more accessible, responsive and citizen-centric, the Tiruchirappalli City Corporation on 25 September 2026 launched a bilingual WhatsApp chatbot for citizen engagement. Hosted on the Government of Tamil Nadu’s Namma Arasu platform, the chatbot enables citizens to access key municipal services, register and track grievances, provide feedback and access ward-level information through a simple digital interface.
The chatbot was launched by Thiru Pratik Tayal IAS, Tiruchirappalli District Collector, in the presence of Tmt Ponmani IAS, Tiruchirappalli City Commissioner, at an inauguration event held at the Tiruchirappalli City Corporation Office.
Available in both Tamil and English, the Chatbot is designed to strengthen the interface between citizens and the municipal administration. The platform provides an integrated mechanism for grievance registration, grievance tracking, feedback and citizen support. Citizens can dial the Namma Arasu Platform number 78452 52525 and select Tiruchirappalli City Corporation from the drop-down list. The user can register and track grievances, receive direct support through call back options, and access ward information through’know your ward’ services.
With this pilot initiative, Tiruchirappalli City Corporation aims to make citizen engagement with urban governance more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive. The initiative is a part of the Social Innovation Platform (SIP), a collaboration between the Government of Tamil Nadu and UNDP India, with ICLEI South Asia as a technical partner. ICLEI South Asia is implementing the SIP pilot in Tiruchirappalli to enhance urban governance, enable SDG localisation, and translate citizen insights into implementable, gender-responsive and inclusive urban solutions. ICLEI South Asia has engaged with diverse stakeholders across vulnerable wards in the city to develop SDG-aligned solutions to address complex urban challenges.