Arappor Iyakkam – an anti -orruption forum – launched a State-wide campaign on Sunday aimed at exposing acts of corruption by politicians, bureaucrats and those in public offices and ensuring transparency and accountability.
The campaign known as ‘ Kollayane Veliyeru’ (Looters quit), inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India Movement against the British, encourages the general public to bring to light acts of corruption by public officials and aims at exposing corrupt practices in every department of the government over the next few months.
Alleging that there was a nexus between corrupt politicians and bureaucrats on the one hand and the mafia on the other, Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam said, “Only with the power of people we can confront this nexus. We will continue to ask questions against them and ensure that the accused persons are punished.” While corruption was rampant from government hospitals to RTO offices to Tahsildar offices, the functioning of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) was also questionable, he alleged.
“The DVAC has not even registered one FIR against IAS and IPS officers during the last four years and this speaks volumes about its functioning,” Mr. Jayaraman noted.
Establishing anti-corruption authority Lokayukta in the State, enacting a Whistleblowers Act to protect informers against corruption, setting up an online complaint launching service in all districts and opening ‘freedom parks’ in every district for staging protests are among the demands that will be highlighted as part of the ‘War Against Corruption’.
“ Kollayane Veliyeru would expose the corruption department-wise, and every month, we would expose such corruption,” said an activist and added that they were aiming at extending legal assistance to activists working against corruption.
