At night, Bhopal’s monsoon hotline goes straight to voicemail, say BMC corporators

Bhopal: As rain clouds gather, some BMC corporators are alleging that official mobile numbers issued by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation are frequently going to voicemail.Congress corporator Guddu Chouhan (Char Imli) alleges “around 60%” of officials do not pick up these numbers, and many phones end up in voicemail — especially at night.BJP corporator Devendra Bhargava raised the matter at a recent council meeting. The concern is not a one‑off: corporators say it has been repeatedly flagged in council sessions.Chouhan warns the problem may worsen after in monsoon season, when emergency response is most needed. Bhargava puts it bluntly: if officials don’t pick up for elected representatives, what hope does a resident with a flooded home have?The irony cuts deep. When the current council took office, corporators were issued BMC mobile numbers in the 75879 series.

Those numbers are often left at home or answered by relatives — sometimes the spouse of the elected corporator — rather than the corporator themselves. Some BMC officers kept premium 94244‑series numbers after switching departments, causing confusion. New officers often rely on personal numbers.Some corporators point to specific officials. They say the phone of a senior official who oversees multiple BMC wings rarely rings.

They also allege the senior official in charge of the health wing often lets calls go to voicemail — worrying if waterlogging requires urgent coordination. Another corporator alleged the city engineer responsible for street lights is frequently unreachable, a problem that could worsen blackouts and safety risks on drenched roads.BMC says it has held pre‑monsoon drills on pumps, de‑silting, lifeguards and generators, and mandated walkie‑talkie use after the 2006 and 2016 floods. Mayor Malti Rai says action will follow specific complaints, corporators argue that proactive rosters and answered phones shouldn’t wait for formal filings.****BMC emergency control room0755-2542222, 2540220, and 2701401