Lucknow teachers to start helpline against corruption

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 favors or gratification, we will entertain all
complaints on the helpline. Thereafter, we would scrutinize 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