ACB’S MOBILE VAN WILL BE STATIONED IN NEIGHBOURHOOD TO REGISTER COMPLAINTS

Mumbai, November 29: Come December and you will find a mobile van of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) stationed in your locality, to help you lodge complaints against your local policeman, ration shop owner or the government official you might have been compelled to bribe.

This move comes as a part of the Mumbai—Pact Against Corruption (M-PAC), a long-term programme launched by ACB on account of the Vigilance Week earlier this month. As part of the programme, the civic body will collaborate with citizens and NGOs to fight corruption. One of the best ways to tackle corruption is to involve the community and encourage citizens to lodge complaints. This initiative helps them to get to us,” said Hemant Karkare, Joint Commissioner of Police, ACB.

“Many citizens do not know how and where to file complaints regarding corruption. Some of them are also afraid to lodge a complaint, we will help people overcome their fear,” he added.

The objectives of M-PAC range from building up social consciousness against corruption, organising a sustained mechanism involving the ACB and citizens’ groups, recommending systematic improvements in policies and procedures of various governmental organisations and finally, acting as a channel through which citizens can approach the ACB.

Through discussions between the ACB and NGOs about involving citizens in M-PAC, it was observed that the ACB office at Worli was too far for concerned citizens who wanted to register a complaint. Also, there was a general lack of awareness regarding the ACB.

Presently, the ACB is looking at two pilot projects—getting students involved in sensitising the community and reaching out to Mumbaiites through the mobile va—which is scheduled to begin from the first week of December. The van will be located at a particular area for a week, giving local citizens the chance to come forward with their complaints.

The NGO council of Mumbai has welcomed the move and approached Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to be a part of the initiative.

“Corruption arises due to the unnecessary gaps and procedural formalities in policies that we can jointly eradicate by identifying such practices through M-PAC,” said Vinay Somani, convenor, NGO council.

However, NGOs like Mahadhikar, which works towards ensuring transparency in governance, feels otherwise. “The disease of corruption is a deep-rooted one and such small initiatives might not make a big difference,” said Keval Simlani, founder, Mahadhikar. “Stronger and more transparent procedures will give ACB the power to take up decisions suo moto, which it currently isn’t entitled to do,” he added.

To tackle corruption
* Call 1-800-222021 toll free anywhere from India and lodge a complaint
* Email: acbwebmail@gmail.com
* The complaint can be anonymous
* You can name the actual public servant involved
* You can give actual instances where you have been asked to pay a bribe, or you had to pay a bribe.

URL: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=211472