The Anti-Corruption Commission got over 75,000 calls on its hotline in last seven days.
ACC officials told New Age that the hotline 106 was opened on July 26, to receive complaints from victims of corruption.
They said that some of the calls could not be received, as they were made on Friday and Saturday and also after office hours.
ACC call centre in-charge Selina Akter Moni told New Age Wednesday that complaints were received only during office hours.
She said that she forwarded 103 ‘serious complaints’ to ACC’s inquiry and investigation department.
She also said that call centre officials gave suggestions to the callers on how to face public servants’ unlawful demands.
Call centre officials said that most of the complainants were against the utility services, government hospitals, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Bangladesh Railway and the government schools.
Complainants alleged that they were compelled to pay bribes to get service from these institututions.
They said that they advised complainants to show the ACC hotline number to any public servant demanding small amounts as bribes.
The complainants were advised to inform higher authorities when their subordinates demand ‘medium amounts’ as bribes for providing service, said Selina.
But the advice was to agree to pay the bribe with intimation to the ACC when public servants demand big amounts as bribes, she said.
According to the ACC call centre records, most corruption complaints were against land offices, particularly against the offices of assistant commissioner (land).
Selina said that complaints from dowry victims were many but they were advised to take their complaints to the appropriate authorities as the ACC can do nothing in such cases.
ACC records show that 30,000 calls could not be attended as they were made
on Friday and Saturday
She said that the ACC was developing a system to for recording complaints made on public holydays.
Former caretaker government adviser M Hafizuddin Khan told New Age that such staggering number of complaints proved that people were becoming victims of corruption at every stage of life.
Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman called the sheer number complaints as the indicator of ‘corruption in practice in the society’.
Plagued by corruption, people are forced to pay at every door of government offices, he added.
On July 26, the ACC hotline was inaugurated by finance minister AMA Muhit.
At the inauguration, ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood said that the hotline would help in developing direct connection between the ACC and the people, most of whom were victims of corruption.
In January, ACC was allocated 106 as its hotline by Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited.
Before the hotline was opened, people could make only written complaints.
Since joining as ACC chairman on April 2016, Iqbal Mahmood strengthened anti corruption drive and ever since 500 corruption suspects, mostly bankers, public servants, public representatives and businessmen were arrested.
Source: New Age
