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Arvind Kejriwal’s corruption hotline burns the phone lines on day one

Arvind Kejriwal said response to AAP govt?s anti-corruption helpline beyond expectations.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said 38 stings had been carried out in the capital in response to ?53 serious cases?, which were received by the anti-corruption helpline on Day One. Arvind Kejriwal said the response to the government?s anti-corruption helpline was ?beyond all expectations?, on the day of its launch.

Two complainants approached the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) with complaints of bribery. Sources said the complainants had conducted two audio stings. One of the complainants came with a claim that he was asked for a bribe of Rs 12,000 while the other said he was asked to pay Rs 5,000 as a bribe.

While the ACB refused to mention the departments, for the purpose of investigation, sources said two FIRs will be registered based on the complaints.

?Of the 53 serious cases, 15 people refused to carry out stings, while 38 were willing to do so. Some stings have already happened and our people are there. The investigation is on,? Arvind Kejriwal said.

?We congratulate the people of Delhi. Everyone has become an anti-corruption sting operator,?? Arvind Kejriwal said. ?This will make corrupt people fearful of taking a bribe,?? he added.

The government is also going to provide another four-digit number, apart from the existing hotline number, 011-27357169, to register complaints.

Arvind Kejriwal said the helpline received 3,904 calls between

8 am and 3 pm on Thursday, but only 824 calls could be attended to. Several calls got dropped due to the high volume, he said.

The government is planning to double the number of people attending the calls by Friday.

?We started with 10 persons attending calls, but added another 15 when we received 200 calls on Thursday morning itself. We are planning to increase the seats by another 30 by Friday. The number of channels will also be increased by 60,?? the chief minister said.

The calls made to the helpline were attended to by officials in a small room on the second floor of the secretariat.

According to secretariat sources, a public grievance cell was working out of here during the previous government.

Asked why he hadn?t publicised the location of the call centre, Arvind Kejriwal said he didn?t want anyone trying to ?influence?? the outcome of the operations there.

On the question of whether audio evidence would be admissible in court, Arvind Kejriwal said supporting evidence would be made available by laying traps. ?Of the 3,900 calls we received, we have carried out a sting in 38 cases. We are confident of results,?? he said.

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First published on: 10-01-2014 at 13:38 IST
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