• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

‘Corruption-free Walayar’ launch on Aug 7

Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram, July 30 The Kerala Government is launching a vigorous drive to make the check-posts in the State free of corruption.

To begin with, the drive will be initiated at Walayar check-post in Palakkad district, which accounts for more than half of the goods transit to the State. The Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, will inaugurate the ‘corruption-free Walayar’ programme on August 7, the Finance Minister, Dr Thomas Isaac, said here on Monday.

One of the objectives of the drive is to enable the goods vehicles carrying valid documents to leave the check-post within an average of two hours. Another aim is to send online the details of the goods in transit to the tax accounts of the respective offices.

To achieve the objectives, the physical infrastructure at the check-post will be upgraded by doubling the number of counters to 12. The vehicles will be issued priority tokens and the queue system will be strictly enforced.

The Minister said that entry to the check-post would be restricted to the staff and those travelling in the goods vehicles. Strict action would be taken against those working as middlemen at the check-post.

Vehicles that need not pay tax will be given ‘green channel’ facility. Also, the national highway where the check-post is located will be repaired on a war-footing.

As part of the drive, a new team of staff will be deployed at Walayar and Chittoor (also in Palakkad district) check-posts for a period of six months. The staff would be given training for three days prior to the launch of the programme and if any of them is found indulging in corrupt practices, they would be subjected to maximum punishment, the Minister said.

An important feature of the whole exercise, according to Mr. Isaac, is monthly social audit of the functioning of the check-post by vehicle owners, trade organisations and people’s representatives.

Arrangements would also be made for newspersons to probe into the working of the check-posts without any advance notice, he said.

More Stories on : Economic Offences | Roadways | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
ID cards for beedi workers

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line