Kerala - Alappuzha   

New system to speed up Vigilance cases

ALAPPUZHA: A time-bound system for investigation and completion of cases by the State Vigilance Department was being worked out, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Wednesday.

Speaking after the inaugural of the new building of the Alappuzha unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau here, Mr. Balakrishnan said that now most Vigilance cases could be completed only in five and sometimes, 10 years.

“By the time the investigation is over, the significance of the case is lost. This is why the State Government is planning a time-bound system for Vigilance cases,” he said.

The Minister also said relevant law sections were being amended to seize assets amassed disproportionately and to freeze them.

In three incidents the Government had already taken steps to freeze such assets. Necessary amendments were also being made to the law to ensure that disproportionate assets and those accumulated through illegal means were not used to purchase large tracts of land, as current trends indicated.

“This is why we are amending land registration procedures and related regulations. Details including photographs of both buyer and seller have to be compulsorily provided during registration,” he said.

With complaints of corruption on a rise in spite of the Vigilance Department doing a “commendable job” in reining in corruption in Road Transport Offices, Sales Tax offices, check-posts and the Registration department, the State Government was also taking steps to reinforce the individual vigilance wings in each government department, he added.

K.S. Manoj, MP, K.C. Venugopal, MLA, Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau, Thiruvananthapuram director Upendra Varma and others also spoke.

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