Arvind Kejriwal continues to make waves, readies army for sting operations

NEW DELHI: The anti-corruption helpline launched by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday was flooded with calls within the first few hours of its operation. Till 3 pm on Thursday, the helpline received close to 4,000 calls in the first seven hours of which 53 callers reported cases of serious corruption, said Kejriwal.

The Delhi CM, who has been announcing new measures on the trot since he assumed office, added another decision to the list as he told reporters that all his cabinet ministers will participate in a weekly grievance redressal meeting on Saturdays and at least one minister will be available for the same purpose every day between 9.30 am to 11am.

Of the 53 serious complaints on Thursday, about 15 refused to conduct a sting operation to provide Delhi government with preliminary evidence to nab the corrupt officers. According government officials, if a complaint is found to be serious, the person attending the call guides the caller on how to conduct the sting. The government’s vigilance team starts work only after receiving evidence.

The overwhelming response has prompted the government to increase the strength of the staff manning the helpline from 15 to 30 officers and also try to turn the eight digit number to a simpler four digit number in the coming days. The Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill is the next big-ticket promise that the party is expected to fulfill. Kejriwal has formed a committee of secretaries under the Chief secretary to finalise the Bill.

“Today our government constituted a committee under the chief secretary. There are several officials from urban development and law departments and legal experts. They will submit their draft proposal by January 15. Most likely, we will bring the Jan Lokpal Bill by last week,” he said.