District Collectors and Superintendents of Police (SPs) are responsible for ensuring a corruption-free system, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said. In a videoconference with the officers on the weekly ‘Spandana’, a grievance redress programme, at the Secretariat on Wednesday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the officials should declare a war against corruption.
“There are instances of people visiting the MRO office to pay bribe for obtaining a certificate despite applying for the same at an eSeva centre. Such things should not happen,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said during his first videoconference after taking over as the Chief Minister. “The videoconference is likely to be a weekly affair,” sources said.
“Corruption should be eradicated right from the mandal level. Officials should be summoned and counselled. I will start cleaning up the system from my level. There should be a positive change within two to three months,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
“The Vigilance Department should tell me that works are done without taking bribe in the mandal offices,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said. “Similarly, works can be done only by bribing at the sub-registrar offices,” the Chief Minister observed, and called for ideas from the officials to change the situation.
“In the urban areas, money is being taken for approval of building plans. This too should be changed,” he said. The strong message against indulging in corruption from the Chief Minister’s Office had only 50% result, and it was up to the officials to clean-up the remaining system, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy observed.