Over 100 officials under ACB scanner…….Manoj More
DISPROPORTIONATE ASSETS : MSEDCL, revenue and police officers high on list of those being probed
Over 100 officials of various government departments are under the scanner of the Pune unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The officers of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL), revenue department and police department are top on the investigation list.
Additional DCP Tushar Doshi said action would be taken against these officers after obtaining conclusive proof. “Simultaneous investigations are on against officers of various departments; MSEDCL, revenue, irrigation, sales tax, excise, cooperatives, police and Public Works department. We are hopeful of getting clinching evidence against these officers.”
ACB officials said around 30 MSEDCL officers, of various ranks, and 25 each from revenue and police departments are being probed for amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income. Their movable and immovable assets besides their banks accounts are being verified. “Acquaintances, colleagues and even relatives have filed complaints against them.”
Doshi said registering complaints in disproportionate assets cases takes time as the suspects would go all out in hiding their wealth. “Most officers who possess immovable assets do it in the name of a relative or hold benami accounts. It takes quite a while to reach to the bottom of the case. A little lapse alerts the corrupt officers who then take steps to put this property out of the ACB’s reach.”
Additional superintendent of police VK Shelar said once the investigation was complete and full proof was available, complaints would be filed and the accused officials arrested. “The investigation against government officials throws up several challenges. We have to get several things in order to zero in on the corrupt officials.”
Most important, say Doshi and Shelar, is the support from citizens. “Citizens dump their complaints with us and do not want to cooperate further. They want us to act on their written or oral complaints. But, we expect them to play a decisive role like helping us get conclusive proof against the accused.”
However, Domnic Lobo of the Common People’s Front said the ACB itself was laidback in its approach. “I have myself filed a number of complaints against corrupt officials; no action has been taken against any of them. The ACB does not deter the corrupt.”
Doshi said the ACB did not spare anybody, no matter how mighty the officer was. Last month, the ACB had caught red-handed a PWD executive engineer while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a contractor. He was the ninth top officer caught by the ACB in four months in Pune.
In the past year, the ACB has caught 74 officers from five districts — Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli and Satara.