diff --git a/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/api/MessageController.java b/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/api/MessageController.java
index 22292119d..8731386b5 100644
--- a/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/api/MessageController.java
+++ b/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/api/MessageController.java
@@ -1,22 +1,25 @@
 package org.avni.messaging.api;
 
+import org.avni.messaging.contract.ManualMessageContract;
 import org.avni.messaging.contract.glific.GlificMessageTemplate;
 import org.avni.messaging.contract.web.MessageRequestResponse;
 import org.avni.messaging.domain.MessageDeliveryStatus;
 import org.avni.messaging.domain.MessageRequest;
 import org.avni.messaging.domain.ReceiverType;
+import org.avni.messaging.domain.exception.GlificNotConfiguredException;
 import org.avni.messaging.service.MessageRequestService;
 import org.avni.messaging.service.MessageTemplateService;
+import org.avni.messaging.service.MessagingService;
+import org.avni.messaging.service.PhoneNumberNotAvailableOrIncorrectException;
 import org.avni.server.dao.UserRepository;
+import org.avni.server.domain.accessControl.PrivilegeType;
 import org.avni.server.service.IndividualService;
+import org.avni.server.service.accessControl.AccessControlService;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
 import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreAuthorize;
 import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
-import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PathVariable;
-import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
-import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMethod;
-import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.*;
 
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
@@ -25,15 +28,19 @@
 @RestController
 public class MessageController {
     private static final String MessageEndpoint = "/web/message";
+    private final AccessControlService accessControlService;
     private final MessageRequestService messageRequestService;
+    private final MessagingService messagingService;
     private final UserRepository userRepository;
     private final IndividualService individualService;
     private final MessageTemplateService messageTemplateService;
 
     @Autowired
-    public MessageController(MessageRequestService messageRequestService, UserRepository userRepository,
+    public MessageController(AccessControlService accessControlService, MessageRequestService messageRequestService, MessagingService messagingService, UserRepository userRepository,
                              IndividualService individualService, MessageTemplateService messageTemplateService) {
+        this.accessControlService = accessControlService;
         this.messageRequestService = messageRequestService;
+        this.messagingService = messagingService;
         this.userRepository = userRepository;
         this.individualService = individualService;
         this.messageTemplateService = messageTemplateService;
@@ -61,6 +68,23 @@ public ResponseEntity<List<MessageRequestResponse>> fetchAllMsgsNotYetSentForCon
                 .collect(Collectors.toList()));
     }
 
+    @RequestMapping(value = MessageEndpoint + "/sendMsg", method = RequestMethod.POST)
+    @PreAuthorize(value = "hasAnyAuthority('user')")
+    @Transactional
+    public ResponseEntity<MessageDeliveryStatus> sendMsgToContactUser(@RequestBody ManualMessageContract manualMessageContract) {
+        accessControlService.checkPrivilege(PrivilegeType.Messaging);
+        accessControlService.checkPrivilege(PrivilegeType.EditUserConfiguration);
+
+        try {
+            messagingService.sendMessageSynchronously(manualMessageContract);
+        } catch (GlificNotConfiguredException | PhoneNumberNotAvailableOrIncorrectException e) {
+            return ResponseEntity.badRequest().body(MessageDeliveryStatus.NotSent);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return ResponseEntity.internalServerError().body(MessageDeliveryStatus.Failed);
+        }
+        return ResponseEntity.ok(MessageDeliveryStatus.Sent);
+    }
+
     @RequestMapping(value = MessageEndpoint + "/contactGroup/{id}/msgsNotYetSent", method = RequestMethod.GET)
     @PreAuthorize(value = "hasAnyAuthority('user')")
     @Transactional(readOnly = true)
diff --git a/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/service/MessagingService.java b/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/service/MessagingService.java
index 175c71993..c4cdb634c 100644
--- a/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/service/MessagingService.java
+++ b/avni-server-api/src/main/java/org/avni/messaging/service/MessagingService.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package org.avni.messaging.service;
 
 import com.bugsnag.Bugsnag;
+import org.avni.messaging.contract.ManualMessageContract;
 import org.avni.messaging.contract.MessageRuleContract;
 import org.avni.messaging.domain.*;
 import org.avni.messaging.domain.exception.GlificGroupMessageFailureException;
@@ -130,6 +131,18 @@ public Page<MessageRule> findByEntityTypeAndEntityTypeId(EntityType entityType,
         return messageRuleRepository.findByEntityTypeAndEntityTypeId(entityType, entityTypeId, pageable);
     }
 
+    @Transactional
+    public void sendMessageSynchronously(ManualMessageContract manualMessageContract)
+            throws GlificNotConfiguredException, RuleExecutionException, PhoneNumberNotAvailableOrIncorrectException {
+        ManualMessage manualMessage = new ManualMessage(manualMessageContract.getMessageTemplateId(), manualMessageContract.getParameters());
+        manualMessage.assignUUIDIfRequired();
+        MessageReceiver messageReceiver = messageReceiverService.saveReceiverIfRequired(manualMessageContract.getReceiverType(),
+                new Long(manualMessageContract.getReceiverId()));
+        MessageRequest messageRequest = new MessageRequest(manualMessage, messageReceiver, manualMessageContract.getScheduledDateTime());
+        messageRequest.assignUUIDIfRequired();
+        sendMessageToGlific(messageRequest);
+    }
+
     @Transactional(propagation = Propagation.REQUIRES_NEW)
     public MessageRequest sendMessage(MessageRequest messageRequest) {
         logger.debug(String.format("Sending message for %d", messageRequest.getId()));
@@ -170,8 +183,8 @@ public void scheduleManualMessage(String receiverId, ReceiverType receiverType,
         messageRequestService.createManualMessageRequest(manualMessage, messageReceiver, scheduledDateTime);
     }
 
-    private void sendMessageToGlific(MessageRequest messageRequest) throws PhoneNumberNotAvailableOrIncorrectException, RuleExecutionException, GlificNotConfiguredException {
-        if(messageRequest.getManualMessage() != null)
+    public void sendMessageToGlific(MessageRequest messageRequest) throws PhoneNumberNotAvailableOrIncorrectException, RuleExecutionException, GlificNotConfiguredException {
+        if (messageRequest.getManualMessage() != null)
             sendManualMessage(messageRequest);
         else
             individualMessagingService.sendAutomatedMessage(messageRequest);
diff --git a/makefiles/staging.mk b/makefiles/staging.mk
index 07b5b6aa3..5eb637f00 100644
--- a/makefiles/staging.mk
+++ b/makefiles/staging.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 # I have setup the environment variables in my bash_profile so that I can just run it whenever I want in live mode. You could do that too (Vivek).
-tunnel_staging_db:
-	ssh avni-staging -L 6015:stagingdb.openchs.org:5432
-
 tunnel_staging_server_for_debug:
 	ssh avni-staging -L 5005:127.0.0.1:5005