- I Paid A Bribe
- 12 years ago
- 554 views
COLLUSION COMRADES IN ARMS DIRE STRAITS CONCERN ABOUT CORRUPTION
- Railways
- Ticket Booking
- Paid INR 185
An intent to report my observation of suspected malfeasance in Koramangala South Western Railway Booking counters at the BDA complex Bangalore while booking train ticket vide PNR 480-2105643 at around 1839hours dated 22nd January 2013.
Let me introduce my self before laying out the matter at hand. I am A.V.********** and I am at this juncture on the verge of completing my PhD in Organisational Behaviour at one of the best universities in the UK and after having lived there and seen Indians do so well including running the UK railway system, the corruption, nepotism and broken system in India breaks my heart. Having seen Sweden and Amsterdam and little India[Great Britain] and experienced their railway system i have come to the conclusion that there is no miracle there that makes one set the watch as the train arrives.
Now coming to the nub of the matter. I reached Koramangala at approximately 1725 hours and there were many passengers. Because I live in HSR layout while in India with my aged parents this is the nearest one for me. There are if I am not mistaken 6 counters. Of these 6 counters only 2 were working. The timings of the clerks as superscribed are 800 AM to 1400 hrs and then 1415 hours to 2000 hours. For a normal crowd of 3 benches the wait took more than an hour. According to what i understand are rules no one is allowed more than 2 transactions and stretching it a bit 4 tickets. I will return to this in a bit.
Even within these 2 clerks one would get up and go down. There were various people who did not have uniform who entered the premises. Some were without uniform and were liberally seen talking over the phone. At around 1735 hours 3 people one being a police ********** came and the clerk in the right hand window left with them. It seemed seedy certainly and many genuine passengers were waiting. For a long time the counters moved like a snail, and at the entrance i could notice cash being taken out and being paid to one person who does not seem to work for the railway. He along with this clerk enters the counter at 1820 hours and they have a conversation. I suspect it does not seem to be in a proper direction. And they agree and leave. Similarly at an earlier occasion during the tatkal time[only in name but a racket in my opinion a mockery of its purpose because of the connivance of clerks and agents and black sheep] some chap who is no way connected with the railway asks people to queue up and 2 people enter the counter and talk with the clerks and leave later with a bag.
Now coming back to yesterday this clerk comes back and a while later a lady comes and cancels or books over 10 tickets at 1820 when several people are waiting and this clerk who went out and came in does this [i think the former and this are separate discrete events] for her.
Finally, after a long wait my turn comes to and the clerk has the temerity to object on the way i stand because it appeared to him that i was looking at the screen[when he types the data should appear on the display screens you have spent money and installed to make sure that the details age etc are entered correctly at the time of the transaction but now are museum artefacts having no use . He said he did not like to be taught his job and in sum my experience with him was down right rude . Most of your clerks need to go a long way to learn how to behave.