Pune: People have begun calling the state’s toll-free helpline number and visiting the online portal to register complaints of sex determination tests being carried out in the state. Vigilant citizens have helped authorities seal 22 erring sonography centres since these anonymous complaint registration facilities started.

"Since the beginning of June, the tollfree helpline as well the online portal have started receiving complaints in a large numbers. Those received between June 1 and June 10 not only pertain to sex-determination tests but also to illegal abortions being carried out by some hospitals and doctors in different parts of the state," said officials of state PCPNDT cell who monitor the helpline and the portal.

The cases of female foeticides in Beed and surrounding areas and the public outrage appears to be the reason for such a huge response, the officials said.

Since June 1, the officials received 29 complaints on the toll-free helpline number (18002334475 ) and 13 complaints on the online portal (website www.amchilmulgi.in) where vigilant citizens have reported cases of sex determination being carried out by doctors in a clandestine manner as well as illegal abortions in their areas.

"The complaints are mainly from Beed, Nashik, Jalgaon, Aurangabad and Nanded," the officials said.

Ever since the helpline became functional last July, it has received 212 complaints. Among them, 180 complaints have been investigated and probes in 31 cases are on. Similarly, the online portal which became functional from August 3, 2011 has received 232 complaints. Among them 97 have been investigated by the appropriate authorities and a probe in 108 cases is currently on. "With the assistance of helpline calls, we could seal 11 sonography machines, so far. The machines sealed are from Jalgaon (5) and one each was sealed from Satara, Beed, Nashik, Washim, Nanded and Kolhapur," the officials said