Steep fall in phone calls to anti-graft helpline

The number of phone calls to the anti-corruption helpline (1031), which was set up by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has witnessed a steep decline in the last two weeks since the fall of AAP government.
Sources said the number of calls has come down from 1,500-2,000 per day during Kejriwal's government to just 500-600 a day after his resignation on February 14
"Moreover, not a single fresh FIR has been registered by the Anti-corruption Branch during the last two weeks," sources said.
Fulfilling its promise made soon after coming into power, the AAP government had on January 8 launched the anti-corruption helpline number to deal with graft cases and promised action within 24 hours of sting operation to expose corrupt officials.

Explaining the reason for the decline in number of calls, a senior government official said it is a general trend with all helplines when an elected government is not there. It is not due to any malfunctioning in the system, the officer added.
"Expectations of people are always high with an elected government. However, there is no change in its functioning and complaints are treated accordingly," said the senior official, adding the government is also exploring the possibility of using anti-corruption helpline to register public grievance cases as well.
The department handling the calls has been asked to analyse the types of complaints being received by it. The call centre is receiving hundreds of calls on a daily basis but all of them are not related to corruption. Many pertain to seeking suggestions and other categories.