Poll Analysis | Bribe for factory registration
We asked “Have you bribed any official to procure or renew the license of your factory?” 79 per cent of the respondents accepted that they have bribed government officers to obtain or renew the licenses of their factories. Many a time, we get reports from factory owners who are forced to pay money by the government officers from different civic departments to procure license of their factories.
A person from Mumbai was threatened by corporation officers to shut down his factory if he failed to pay them an amount of Rs.1 lakh as bribe.
Another respondent from Mahesana (Gujarat) shared his experience on our website, saying he had to pay Rs. 1 lakh to get electricity connection for his newly bought factory. The person visited the Gujarat Electricity Board for several time with a plea to provide the connection. But they did not pay any heed to it. The officer’s commission agent demanded Rs. 1 lakh but he refused to pay the money. For two months he waited for the electricity connection. Ultimately, the person had to pay the demanded money of Rs.1 lakh as a bribe.
What should people do in such situations? A writer on our website put it quite well, “Don’t hesitate to be stronger than you are and you will learn to be bolder and wiser each time. Fighting my own battles..... Don’t think you are alone. The prayers of good men are with you.