VIGILANCE Department asks CVOs to keep hawk's eye over corrupt officers

Chandigarh, July 19, 2013: In a bid to achieve its objective of zero tolerance towards corruption for bringing far more transparency and efficiency in the state administration, the Punjab Government has issued detailed guidelines to all the Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) designated in various departments to curb corruption thereby keeping a close tab on the activities of the corrupt officers in their respective departments.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said that the CVOs have been asked to comply with these instructions meticulously to ensure good governance, keeping in view the larger public interest. The guidelines issued by the State Vigilance department called upon the officers to help the state government in detection of corruption and corrupt officers in their departments, to prepare lists of corrupt officers who enjoyed bad reputation and to ensure effective supervision on them and to so regulate their posting that they do not have scope to indulge in corruption. The CVOs had been asked to pass on information to the Secretary Vigilance regarding such officers so that they could also keep a strict vigil over them besides ensuring prompt and effective departmental actions/ prosecution in courts of corrupt officers when evidence was available, keeping watch over proceedings against the defaulters so that delay did not allow the defaulters to escape punishment.

It was also mandatory on the part of the CVOs to check and review the procedures adopted in the department, if necessary, with the Assistance of the Vigilance department to plug loopholes whenever existing which facilitates corruption apart from providing assistance regarding departmental rules and procedures to the investigation officer of the Vigilance department. The CVOs had also been instructed to refer difficult and complicated cases to the Vigilance department for investigation besides scrutinizing cases of compulsory retirement of the corrupt officers at the age of 55 years, to check up cases of compulsory retirement of corrupt government servants even earlier, if permitted by law and rules. It would also be bounden duty on the part of CVOs to scrutinize property returns of the government servants to detect corruption or unreasonable accumulation of property.

They have also been authorized to scrutinize reports and have the items included in them investigated, which appear to involve an element of corruption. The CVOs by virtue of these instructions would also act as liaison officers between their own department and the Vigilance department, including the Vigilance Bureau. The CVOs had also been directed to monitor progress with regard to grant of prosecution sanctioned in the cases referred to their department under advice to the Secretary Vigilance. They have also been asked to ensure that any information, date, advice, record etc. asked for by the Vigilance department/ Vigilance Bureau was made available without any loss of time. The spokesman further said that it has been often observed that the CVOs were not discharging their duties in the right earnest and therefore they have been now asked for strict adherence to these instructions.