Delhi comes out with single helpline for all rain woes — 311

In a bid to streamline the response to monsoon-related complaints such as waterlogging and tree falls, the Delhi government will launch a unified helpline (311) and set up a centralised command centre at Palika Kendra, the headquarters of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The announcement was made by Delhi PWD minister Parvesh Verma, who inspected the NDMC’s integrated command and control centre (ICCC) on Monday.

“All three governments in Delhi belong to the same party, and coordination is strong. There is no blame game,” Verma said. “During the rains four days ago, we saw each department’s complaint centre flooded with calls. The NDMC’s command centre, created under the Smart City project, is already operational. Now, we aim to integrate NDMC, MCD, PWD, DDA, the flood department, and the Jal Board under a single command centre. Following this, we will release a single number for reporting waterlogging cases.”

Highlighting the confusion residents face over departmental jurisdictions, Verma added, “People don’t know whether a particular street falls under PWD, MCD or DDA. With this new system, they’ll only need to call one number—311—and the complaint will be routed to the appropriate department automatically. If the chief minister wants to inspect the situation, she should be able to access live camera feeds from across Delhi to identify waterlogged areas.”

Verma called the initiative a step towards “One Delhi, One Number.” “Citizens won’t need to worry about who’s responsible—they’ll just call 311, and action will follow,” he said.

The announcement comes days after a thunderstorm on Friday caused widespread tree damage across the city. Residents told HT they were unaware of the Quick Response Team (QRT) launched two weeks ago by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to handle tree-related complaints. Many RWAs said the QRT mechanism lacked visibility and efficiency.

Officials from Verma’s office said the new system is being tailored specifically for the upcoming monsoon season. “Whether it’s waterlogging, broken roads, choked drains, or overflowing sewers, citizens won’t have to chase multiple departments anymore,” an official said.

A joint meeting of all departments concerned will be held in the next two to three days to finalise the operational structure of the command centre, including deployment of staff, accountability measures, and technical integration.

Verma also announced that CCTV cameras will soon be installed in waterlogging-prone areas lacking surveillance infrastructure, enabling real-time monitoring and faster on-ground response. Additionally, all pumping stations across Delhi will be upgraded with automated systems to speed up drainage and provide real-time support to field teams.

Located on the ground floor of Palika Kendra near Jantar Mantar, the existing NDMC command centre features a massive video wall and receives live footage from over 500 cameras and 53 smart poles placed at key junctions across Lutyens’ Delhi.

Set up in 2020–21 under the Smart City project at a cost of ₹65 crore, the centre is North India’s first such initiative by a local body. It not only provides live video streams but also aggregates air quality data from 55 sensors across the city, supports GPS tracking of civic vehicles, controls smart streetlights, and monitors sanitation services.