Hyderabad: After Revenue, Police departments, now GHMC under ACB radar

Hyderabad: After Revenue and Police departments, it appears that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will zero in on GHMC soon to net big fish of the civic body.

An officer from the ACB, on condition of anonymity, said that the department acts on any complaint received from whomsoever. But of late, there have been a lot of calls about the corruption in the GHMC and other municipalities in the State.

"The department is in the process of doing the groundwork for now and once the details of such corrupt officials are collected, the sleuths will then be ordered to conduct raids and catch the corrupt ones red-handed," he said.

"Also, it has been observed that there are lots of internal complaints from the GHMC wherein the employees are indulged in bribing the officers to get their works done such as postings or promotions and the problem is much persistent in district municipalities."

"Apart from that, it has also been witnessed that the lower rank officials from the GHMC are involved in a lot of corruption because they are the gateways to the entire process of moving files. Though there are many complaints about the issue we are still waiting for the proper evidence against any such corrupt officials and once we get the evidence then we will conduct raids and nab them red-handed as we are hopeful of rooting out the problem of corruption from GHMC forever," explained the officer.

Meanwhile, an employee of GHMC who did not wish to be named said that the problem of corruption exists in GHMC since years. The officials of ACB conduct raids on an officer and he/she is suspended for a few years and they are later on posted somewhere else.

"Though everything is digitalized in GHMC but still the corruption happens. Recently a batch of 20 senior assistants bribed the senior official who is responsible for promotions and got their promotions, though the same was due in the next year around April or May.

In fact, the 20 senior assistants were not even eligible for promotion. It clearly indicates that there is corruption and the laws have been compromised. Similarly, there are many such instances wherein the corruption happens, but it gets buried due to the silence of the masses," said the official.