Telangana government to crack whip on graft in offices
The govt is likely to order a crackdown against corrupt staff soon
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-08-24 01:56 GMT
Hyderabad: Officials and staff working in revenue, stamps and registration and municipal administration and urban development departments are under the scanner of the TS government for large-scale corruption complaints against them.
The government has started the exercise to track details about their movable and immovable assets with the help of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The government is likely to order a crackdown against corrupt staff soon. The government had in January launched a toll-free number for people to lodge complaints against graft.
A large number of complaints were received against staff working in these three departments. Of the 5,520 complaints received on the toll free number, 50 per cent were against staff in these departments.
These complaints were referred to the ACB for inquiry. The ACB is in the process of tracking the movable and immovable assets registered in the names of their family members or benamis, bank accounts etc. before proceeding against them. Complaints received on the toll free number were related to staff amassing wealth and properties in the name of their family members or benamis, which need due inquiry before ACB takes up raids.
“The ACB has already come out with a preliminary list of such employees department-wise, based on its preliminary investigation. A re-inquiry is being done before taking up raids and booking cases against them,” said a senior revenue official.
About 80 cases were booked by ACB against corrupt staff till July this year, but most of the cases pertain to employees being caught red-handed while taking bribe based on information provided by the complainants. The government now wants ACB to shift its focus to those staff who amassed wealth and properties in the name of others or benamis.
The complaints are mostly related to demanding money for property registrations, making property registrations without verifying documents, approval of building and layouts and issuance of certificates for various services.