Vigilance to man helpline unveiled to eradicate corruption

From Friday onwards, officials of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Punjab, will monitor the helpline and look into complaints registered a week ago

Chandigarh: As many as 200 complaints (mostly old) were received on the ‘anti-corruption action line’ launched by chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday.

According to a senior Vigilance official monitoring the ‘WhatsApp action line, on the first day, the helpline was flooded with some old and mostly test complaints with not even a single complaint having mandatory video or audio clips to prove that any government official took a bribe.

From Friday onwards, officials of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Punjab, will monitor the helpline and look into complaints registered a week ago.

According to a senior Vigilance official monitoring the ‘WhatsApp action line, on the first day, the helpline was flooded with some old and mostly test complaints with not even a single complaint having mandatory video or audio clips to prove that any government official took a bribe.

Among the 200 complaints received on Wednesday, one was filed by BJP leader from Ludhiana advocate Harsh Sharma, who demanded that the helpline should probe the allotment of Rajya Sabha tickets to industrialists.

There were old complaints against certain officials but it is mandatory that a complainant shares audio and video recordings of any such incident, officials manning the helpline said.

Even as the chief minister in his video message has categorically appealed to the people to send videos related to corruption demanded by officials. Around 100 complaints received were in writing and in the form of applications, it is learnt.

The action line has allotted a special office in the head office of Vigilance Bureau and three officials -- AIG Vikas Sabbarwal, two PPS officers Angrez Singh and Rupinderdeep Kaur Sohi -- were posted in the Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday to supervise the action line.

“It was just the first day. People will get more clarity about the nature of complaints to be registered on the helpline in a few days,” an official who wished not to be quoted said.

On the CM’s social media handles too, people shared screenshots of their complaints with action line asking for the audio or videos to substantiate their claims.