- Bribe Hotline
- 12 years ago
- 2008 views
Corruption going HI-TECH!!
Under the new automated system for passport services in Bangalore, you are supposed to apply for an appointment online a day before you would like to visit a Passport ********** Kendra. The appointment process for the next day starts at 6pm the previous evening.
However for the last 3 weeks, I have been diligently logging on at 6pm and the appointments seem to be filling in within the first 15 seconds. For the first week or so, I blamed it on my lack of punctuality - perhaps I was there only at 6:02pm. The second week went by the same way, but now I was blaming the population of our country and sheer coincidence. In the last week or so I suspected smelling "foul". And today, when I called a passport agent, he confirmed that the whole bribery nexus has gone hi-tech. For a fee of INR 500, he is willing to get me an appointment. I asked how? Well in addition to the money he expects me to give my application log in ID and password, so that he can log in as me and get an appointment.
I am not willing to do this, its not a matter of money, I usually spend multiples of those without flinching. It's perhaps my shaken belief in e-governance.