| ACB to track babus’ assets with the click of a mouse | ||
| Using land records website, bureau to keep tab on property owned by government officials | ||
| Manu Pubby | ||
| Mumbai, November 28: Tracking corrupt government officials will soon be a click away as sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) are gearing up to use the cyber world to trace disproportionate assets of civil servants. ACB officers will now log in to http://mahabhulekh.mumbai.nic.in — the newly uploaded land records website of Maharashtra — to keep a tab on property owned by the government servants.
The move is likely to bring more officials under the scanner as earlier, ACB investigations used to take months and even years to trace immovable assets of suspected officials. The Land Records Department will also give ACB access to authenticated printouts of the land records, which can be used as proof of disproportionate assets. |
Over 44 ACB officials from across the State took part in a one-day workshop last week organised by the department to understand the functioning.
“Using the website, they can check the entire records of land owned by any person in the State,” T C Benjamin, Settlements Commissioner and Director of Land Records, said.
The department will also help ACB to gather documented proof of property owners by introducing a unique ‘digital signature’ feature. “Within a month, we will introduce a talathi digital signature system. The ACB will have access to printouts of land records that will be authenticated by the digital signature and can be used as proof,” Benjamin said.
ACB officials were surprised at the potential of the website. “It took us months and even years to trace land records earlier. Our officials had to travel to villages and land record offices in far off places to check property of government officials,” Superintendent of Police, C G Kumbhar, ACB, Pune range said. He said now corrupt officials would not get an opportunity to dispose off their disproportionate assets.
Kumbhar said once officials have been properly oriented with the website, they will no longer approach talathis and land records’ officials. The discreet approach would also save embarrassment to honest officials who are being investigated. “In the past, information would leak that the records of a particular person are being investigated. By using the website, we will be able to keep our investigations low profile,” Kumbhar said.
While the website was launched earlier this year, ACB could jump on the bandwagon only recently as they got Internet access last month. “Since last month, all units have access to Internet facility. Now, only some orientation is required,” Kumbhar added.
URL: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=211231