ACB sets up control room in Karnataka for reporting graft

BENGALURU: The newly-formed Anti-corruption Bureau ( ACB) has set up a control room exclusively to receive tip-offs and complaints against corruption, harassment, disproportionate assets, pendency of work in government offices and illegal financial transactions of government officials and elected representatives.

MA Saleem, Additional Commissioner at the ACB, said that the control room -with phone number 22342100 -will function from 10am and 5.30pm on all working days. The control room is expected to commence this week. The bureau will also be active on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter once work on its website is completed.

Saleem said the ACB will act on information received on phone and not await a formal complaint.This would enable them to catch the culprits red-handed. The indentity of the persons who report corruption would be kept secret.

Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who observed that Karnataka had earned a reputation for corruption, welcomed the move to have a control room."Enforcement is the most important thing. They should make sure there is genuine enforcement and that it does not become selective and vindictive," she said.