The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Go for the big fish, ACB told

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Go for the big fish, ACB told

Special Correspondent

Don’t spare any high official if found guilty, says the Chief Minister

YSR compliments ACB for the ‘excellent’ results shown so far
ACB chief denies charge of going soft on corrupt IAS/IPS officers

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy has asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau which has, of late, turned active, to catch the big fish rather than concentrating on ‘petty cases’ involving small amounts.

“Don’t spare any high official if found guilty of corruption, however big they might be and whatever their links,” Dr. Reddy told the ACB officials as he reviewed the performance of the bureau here on Saturday.

“Focus must be on those known for corruption but innocent persons should not suffer,” he said.

Dr. Reddy, however, complimented the ACB for being “vigorous” in catching the black sheep in the administration and for excellent results shown so far.

‘Improvement’

ACB Director-General R. R. Girish Kumar told reporters later that there was improvement in the ACB performance in terms of number of cases booked monthly with quality inputs, traps laid and the amounts involved in disproportionate assets cases.

There were 464 cases pending for disposal by courts. Asked about the allegation that the ACB was not touching corrupt IAS/ IPS officers and instead concentrating on lower staff, Mr. Kumar said the charge was “not correct” but his agency would make efforts to erase this bad name.

Use of IT

The Chief Minister wanted information technology to be used in all the service-delivery departments like Revenue, Municipal Administration to end corruption.

He instructed Information & Public Relations Department to make films for display on TV channels/cinema halls to educate public against offering bribes. He sanctioned seven posts of joint directors to the ACB.

Burial grounds

District Collectors have been asked to have compound walls constructed around all burial grounds in the State, both old and new, to protect them from encroachers and avoid space shortage in future.

They have also been directed to make the mandal revenue officer concerned responsible for proper protection of these valuable lands, and constitute committees with local residents to maintain and beautify them.

At a meeting here, Dr. Reddy wanted these measures to be initiated immediately as land-grabbers were not sparing even the graveyards.

He said a budget of Rs. 100 crore would be earmarked for cremation and burial grounds, and noted that an extent of 27,708 acres had been allotted in municipalities and gram panchayats to serve as burial grounds. The Collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy have been asked to identify lands for the purpose near the Outer Ring Road.

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