- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 266 views
Limit of shamelessness
- Stamps and Registration
- Registration of Flat or Apartment
- Paid INR 1,500
I was 24 then. Though officially an adult, but still a young citizen of corporate India trying to learn the ways of the world. I had decided to buy a small flat in Pune and as part of the process, I had to get an NOC from the municipal corporation which stated that the property taxes were paid up, only after which the property could be transferred in my name. My property agent suggested that he could get the NOC for Rs 1000. However I was ignorant and thought I could save some money by getting the NOC formalities taken care of myself. In the end, I ended up spending more money, and on top of that had 20-25 days of frustrated visits to the corporation office. Most of the times the 'sarkari babu' was not available even during work hours, and when he was available, he would keep asking me to come again later. I was naive and did not understand that was his signal to ask for a bribe. One day, he 'opened up' and said that the work will cost Rs 1000. I mildly protested, and his response was that the work involves a lot of effort, and he needed to be paid for that. I was already tired of the numerous visits and endless waits, many times I had to come out during offices hours that affected my work, so I decided it was better to pay off this guy and get my work done. I paid him the thousand rupees he had asked for and he asked me to come back again later. When I went again, he said the work had been done and I had to pay off some balance on the property tax amount to the cashier (this was a legitimate expense) before he could give me the NOC. On looking at the numbers closely, I noticed an error and pointed it out to him. The guy was so shameless and corrupt, that he asked me for another Rs 500 to correct that error. His reasoning was that it involved rework. He also softly threatened me that I could not talk about this with anyone else he will ensure my NOC will never come out. I unwillingly handed him another Rs 500 and finally my work was done. This was the first time I got a taste of the corruption in our country. Its been almost 10 years since this event and I still dread dealing with any government agency in India. I am an NRI now, live in the US, where I see a stark contrast in the way government offices run. Here you are treated with utmost respect, and government employees are not only accountable but also know what customer service is. Hope that India gets rid of its widespread corruption in the coming years. By the way, my story does not end here. My property tax bills still come with the old owner's name on them.