The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s helpline in Delhi for complaints against corrupt officers received over 700 calls in its first seven hours.
The deluge led to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking for staff manning the helpline to be tripled by tomorrow.
Citizens have been asked to dial the helpline number, (011) 27357169 between 8 am and 10 pm, for any corruption complaint. The calls are sifted and only the genuine complaints are transferred to a team of 15 experts, who advise callers on conducting a sting operation.
The AAP says the evidence from the sting will be transferred to anti-corruption units, and each case will be processed within 24 hours.
“Everyone can fight corruption. You don’t need a danda (stick). You only need a phone. Every citizen can be an anti-corruption inspector,” declared Mr Kejriwal. (Highlights of Arvind Kejriwal’s press conference)
The government says the helpline will soon be a four-digit number that will be easier to remember.
The one-year-old AAP came to power in Delhi riding on massive popular support for its anti-corruption campaign and its promise of clean politics. A dedicated helpline against corruption was in the party’s manifesto, besides an audit of power distribution companies and 700 litres of free water to every household.
The party now plans to convert growing public anger over corruption into votes in the national elections, due by May
