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Journalism of Courage
AHMEDABAD, Oct 1: The state government has decided to set up an intelligence wing in the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) to identify government employees who own far more property than they could have earned.
Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya told reporters in Gandhinagar that a list of suspects would be drawn up soon and their assets would be documented with help from the Central Bureau of Investigation. The information gathered would “be taken into account during promotion,” he said.
A list of posts where corruption is rampant is already being prepared. Pandya said appointments to these posts would be by rotation, and the ACB would make frequent surprise checks on officials holding them.
The minister said the ACB would routinely use electronic devices like miniature tape-recorders, voice spectrographs and the like to gather evidence of bribe taking. The bureau had been asked to buy more of the devices and train its staff to use them.
The government would set up a committee to grant permission for investigation of officials which would have to clear requests from the ACB within two months. He said that a period of two months was fixed to clear all the demands for investigations and in case of department’s failure to do so the officials responsible will have to issue verbal orders and explanation for delay. He also announced that offices of ACB will be opened in six new districts.
