UNB, Dhaka :
Although its hotline has received a huge response from people, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) cannot entertain all the callers as it lacks capacity to handle those.
“We can now answer only 700-800 phone calls every day although we get 3,500-4,500 calls at 106 from people,” ACC system analyst (Director) Rajib Hasan told UNB recently.
While visiting the ACC’s complaint centre on Thursday afternoon, this correspondent found that five officials were busy receiving phone calls from people one after another.
Practically, it is quite impossible to answer all the phone calls as the ACC’s complaint centre has no enough capacity to entertain all callers, said an ACC official working at the complaint centre.
To receive phone calls from the complainants, Rajib said, a total of 20 officials are currently working in four shifts on workdays from 9am to 5pm with five officials in each shift.
On July 27 last, Finance Minister AMA Muhith officially launched the ACC’s hotline – 106.
Now, the complainants who cannot read or write are able to submit their allegations against graft suspects. One can submit his or her complaint dialing 106 from any mobile phone or telephone free of cost.
Talking to UNB, ACC Commissioner Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed said the Commission is set to recruit some officials. “Once the recruitment
process is completed, we’ll allocate more staff for the complaint centre so that we can receive more phone calls from people,” he said. Apart from working hours, the ACC’s complaint centre is getting phone calls even in the weekend (Friday and Saturday).
“We’re planning to install a recording device in the complaint centre so that we can automatically record phone calls in the ACC’s system when people call over the hotline during the weekend or nighttime,” Dr Nasir said.
Since the inception of the hotline, official data shows, the ACC has received over 1.3 lakh phone calls from people till Thursday last. The complaint centre has so far submitted about 533 of the graft allegations received through the hotline to the Commission urging for launching probes into those, said ACC Director Jayed Hossain Khan.
About the nature of graft allegations the ACC receives through its hotline, ACC officials said there are many allegations of graft and irregularities in projects and activities of the local government bodies.
“But, most of the allegations we get through the hotline is beyond our jurisdiction as many submit complaints relating to family affairs like dowry. We only consider the allegations of loan scam, bribery, illegal wealth etc,” Dr Nasiruddin said.
Noting that most of the people do not know what allegations should be submitted to the ACC dialing the 106 hotline, he said that is why the Commission has planned to install billboards in all major cities and it is now distributing leaflets and stickers among people across the country to encourage and make them aware about filing allegations against graft suspects calling from their phones.
In January 2017, the ACC got the approval of the hotline from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) to launch the hotline.
Although its hotline has received a huge response from people, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) cannot entertain all the callers as it lacks capacity to handle those.
“We can now answer only 700-800 phone calls every day although we get 3,500-4,500 calls at 106 from people,” ACC system analyst (Director) Rajib Hasan told UNB recently.
While visiting the ACC’s complaint centre on Thursday afternoon, this correspondent found that five officials were busy receiving phone calls from people one after another.
Practically, it is quite impossible to answer all the phone calls as the ACC’s complaint centre has no enough capacity to entertain all callers, said an ACC official working at the complaint centre.
To receive phone calls from the complainants, Rajib said, a total of 20 officials are currently working in four shifts on workdays from 9am to 5pm with five officials in each shift.
On July 27 last, Finance Minister AMA Muhith officially launched the ACC’s hotline – 106.
Now, the complainants who cannot read or write are able to submit their allegations against graft suspects. One can submit his or her complaint dialing 106 from any mobile phone or telephone free of cost.
Talking to UNB, ACC Commissioner Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed said the Commission is set to recruit some officials. “Once the recruitment
process is completed, we’ll allocate more staff for the complaint centre so that we can receive more phone calls from people,” he said. Apart from working hours, the ACC’s complaint centre is getting phone calls even in the weekend (Friday and Saturday).
“We’re planning to install a recording device in the complaint centre so that we can automatically record phone calls in the ACC’s system when people call over the hotline during the weekend or nighttime,” Dr Nasir said.
Since the inception of the hotline, official data shows, the ACC has received over 1.3 lakh phone calls from people till Thursday last. The complaint centre has so far submitted about 533 of the graft allegations received through the hotline to the Commission urging for launching probes into those, said ACC Director Jayed Hossain Khan.
About the nature of graft allegations the ACC receives through its hotline, ACC officials said there are many allegations of graft and irregularities in projects and activities of the local government bodies.
“But, most of the allegations we get through the hotline is beyond our jurisdiction as many submit complaints relating to family affairs like dowry. We only consider the allegations of loan scam, bribery, illegal wealth etc,” Dr Nasiruddin said.
Noting that most of the people do not know what allegations should be submitted to the ACC dialing the 106 hotline, he said that is why the Commission has planned to install billboards in all major cities and it is now distributing leaflets and stickers among people across the country to encourage and make them aware about filing allegations against graft suspects calling from their phones.
In January 2017, the ACC got the approval of the hotline from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) to launch the hotline.
