• I Paid A Bribe
• 13 years ago
• 1149 views

Red tape: a route of corruption

• Water and Sewage
• Reconnection of Disconnected Installations
• Paid INR 2,000

This is my personal experience happened 2 days back. For our house under construction, we have drinking water supply pipeline laid 20 years back and exactly on which GHMC(Greater Hyderabad Municipal corporation) with great forethought planted a tree few months later. That had naturally grown enormously over years. Because of wear and tear water pipeline got rusted and when we called lineman of Jalamandali(waterworks dep’t) he said that it’s not possible to change it unless tree is cut. Then we approached GHMC for permission and were told that concerned officer would visit in few days and 'assess' tree there by decide to permit us or not to root it out. When we asked how many days this process would take, as usual its 'timeless' master work! When we told problem of entire house work coming to halt cos of lack of water, we were explicitly explained to cut it ourselves without causing inconvenience to commuters of the road, there by generating complaints to Municipality. We gladly got it cut but root was monstrous encasing entire water pipeline for which actually whole thing was intended for. Now that worker of waterworks reappeared and asked us to dug out parallel channel to main water pipeline to reconnect and we did the same. From then he started acting smartly demanding Rs 2500.When we asked why, he show cased the procedural wrangle that would take immeasurable time at office, so if he was given ‘that’, entire thing would be made convenient. Already 2 weeks have elapsed since hassle has begun. Then we approached Deputy Engineer in concerned office and to our short lived pleasure and surprise dismissed this entire matter as simple one asking us to pay Rs 1500 as challan for reconnection. He also called up a person to help us and sort out the problem ‘immediately’. Initially we thought this person is also an employee but later as I detail, was turned out to be an elderly municipal contractor! When we went to cash deposit counter, the person sitting there asked us to approach another clerk sitting in ‘concerned’ section who will give an ‘application form’ for the same. We located that clerk sitting across a table. He smiled and told that ‘concerned’ section officer has to be met in person and when he permits he will issue application form and in that part of our journey on that day he(officer) was missing from scene and we were asked to wait till he comes. When asked about his timing, chaparasi(fourth class employee) sitting there nodded both for and against !
By this time we were getting tired of situation and poured our misery on that elderly municipal contractor who was still standing there. He told in pacifying manner its all ‘the process’ and would take time and he too as us could not measure it in time units! When we were exasperated he told that he would directly dug up water pipeline to relocate on that day itself and this requires Rs 2000.He cost estimated 1500 as challan (wonder what is actual destination, of course that’s none our business!) and 500 as charge for speedy procedure just like speedy ********** of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala where we gladly shell more without hesitation!! For us he was like a ‘momentary God’ ,a savior for all our miseries we are suffering for mistake of being born in our “Gulistan” .Within 2 hours entire ordeal was over which otherwise might have lasted months together if at all, moving around office, arguing and complaining with those employees losing peace of mind and our time, moreover house work going nowhere .I know it’s not either a beginning or end, more might be in waiting !!!
When such is the situation, how could respect ‘oozes’ out on seeing employees even if IAS/IPS/state Govt group 1 or 2 ,as they are sold out at various rates? When money is deciding factor it is ‘the only’ one that is revered, that demands automatic respect and God! In my childhood, might be now also, many fear and jeer police for their corruption and way of functioning. People would like to better keep houses vacant rather than renting them to police personnel. It is sad to see Govt employees of other sections too pulling themselves into similar position and getting socially alienated