Lucknow: It comes close on the heels of Anna Hazare's campaign against graft. The teachers' association of Lucknow University, with 400 members, has decided to launch a helpline to fight corruption, which they say plagues education and other government departments of Uttar Pradesh.
Led by Lucknow University Teachers' Association (LUTA) general secretary R.B. Singh, its members say they have started the helpline as part of their social responsibility.
"Initially a cell phone number - 09415010507 - would serve as the state-wide helpline. In later phases, we will come up with a landline number as a dedicated helpline on corruption," Singh told reporters.
"Be it pending work in the education and other government departments, demands of undue favours or gratification, we will entertain all complaints on the helpline. Thereafter, we would scrutinise them on our level and later our office-bearers would take up the issue with the authorities concerned.
LUTA officials say they plan to rope in social activists, NGOs and people from various walks of life to help curb corruption through the helpline.
"If you are outside Lucknow and other big cities, you will agree that people in smaller towns and other areas either don't know the proper channel to approach the authorities or fear taking up the matter with senior officials," said Singh.
"Taking this into account, we will extend a helping hand to all those people, who wish to stand against corruption but cannot do it owing on reason or other," he said.
LUTA represents over 400 teachers of various departments of the varsity.
Last week, LUTA had decided to felicitate social activist Anna Hazare on the campus. However, the varsity administration denied permission on the grounds that the hall where the function was to take place May 1 was too small to accommodate a big gathering.
Terming the varsity administration decision "undemocratic" and "aimed to cripple Hazare's campaign against corruption", LUTA later announced alternative arrangements. However, owing to health reasons, Hazare could not come to Lucknow and other cities of Uttar Pradesh where he was to address public rallies.
IANS
First Published: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 13:34