VOICE, developed by CMC, is India's first IT solution for municipal corporations across the country. This is an extensive IT tool to bridge the gap between the common citizen and the municipality.

Municipal corporations are expected to provide timely services to their citizens. A transparent, agile and efficient administrative system can cut down on procedural delays. VOICE is a state-of-the-art, sophisticated IT tool which is quick, transparent and can increase revenue collections at a nominal cost.

VOICE operates through information kiosks set up in various areas, through which citizens can access information, register suggestions and grievances, and interact with the elected officials and administrators of municipalities directly, without the need to visit them personally. The system is modular and can be custom-built according to the needs of municipal corporations.

The application software modules of VOICE include grievance and suggestions, property tax, water and sewerage tax, births / deaths registration, development projects, building approvals, commercial complexes, advertisements, health programs, etc. VOICE also includes a framework for publicity information dissemination.

	Client-server based application with a single, centralised database for data capture
	A web interface for dynamic information, dissemination and registration of complaints from citizens
	An executive management information service (MIS)
	D2k / Oracle 8.x on Win NT / 2000 for the client-server mode
	Lotus Notes for workflow applications
	Shree-Lipi and Shree-Samhita for a bi-lingual interface
	HTML / ASP / Oracle 8.x for the web interface

Strengths and benefits
With customisation, VOICE can meet the operational needs of most municipalities and even zilla parishads in India. The customisation effort is relatively significant here, even though VOICE meets the core functional needs. Some functions and operating styles vary from state to state, as the municipalities are guided by their local municipal acts.

Experience
VOICE started off as a pilot project at the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) in 1998, and was officially launched in May 2000. Birth and death certificates for the last 35 years are being issued. Property tax certifications, licenses, etc, are being issued effectively.

Taking the VOICE system as a basis, CMC has developed a comprehensive solution for the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), taking care of back-office applications, IVRS (telephone-based services) and electricity billing. The project is under implementation.

	Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), Andhra Pradesh
	New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC)
	Raipur Municipal Corporation, Chattisgarh (solution based on VMC, including ration cards and group insurance for rickshaw pullers)

Case study
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, Andhra Pradesh

Contact:
Head - eGov
CMC House
C-18, Bandra-Kurla Complex
Bandra (East)
Mumbai - 400 051
Tel: 022-26591000-2
Fax: 022-26591046
Email: egov@cmcltd.com