ACC to introduce hotline 106 for lodging graft complaints

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is set to introduce a hotline 106 to lodge complaints against corruption over phones from home and abroad aimed at fighting the menace effectively.

"The commission will introduce the hotline 106 at the quickest possible time," public relations officer of ACC Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee told BSS here today. "The commission is working to make policy to this end to decide which types of allegation will be taken into consideration," he also said.

The complaints lodged over the phones will be written first and then place before the commission to decide the next course of action, he added.

People are now making complaints through written statements as complaint boxes have been set up at ACC offices across the country.

With introduction of the hotline number, people can lodge complaints of the ongoing incidents of graft especially the incidents of taking bribe in the government offices which help to reduce corruption.

ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood earlier sounded a note of warning to bribe takers saying, "Stop taking bribes, otherwise wait for tough action."

"Thirteen cases were lodged last year in connection with arresting bribe-takers through the trap system, he said, adding that the matter of special surveillance in the offices indulged in corruption will be visible this year," he also said.

A total of 12568 allegations were submitted to the lone anti-graft body. Of those, 1,543 allegations have been taken into consideration for inquiry while 543 allegations have been forwarded to the concerned offices to take administrative measures, he said.

Talking about graft cases, he said, "A total of 339 graft cases were lodged while charge sheets in 528 cases have been placed before the court in 2016."