- Bribe Hotline
- 14 years ago
- 1937 views
Hi raghu, Firts of all,i want to know will this website showcase the causes n rectify the problems,i m not able to see any improvements in BBMP or anywhere,they r still getting bribes regularly in op
Dear Rahul,
Our aim is to analyse the reports that we receive and come out with suggestions to the government to improve systems to reduce the scope for corruption. In fact, we want to measure our success in terms of actual improvement in the services rendered by various departments, including the BBMP. Our first endeavour is to improve the services of the RTO, followed by the Registration Department, the Passport office and the BBMP.
Regarding your Khata, there is absolutely no need for you to pay a bribe. In fact, I would suggest that you avoid all agents, who are there only to mislead you, because they also get their cut.
Please see the Khata FAQs and follow them scruplously. The application fee is Rs.25/- per property, for which the Khata certificate is sought. Applications should be given to the Assistant officer for the sub-division or range. If the officer at the counter refuses to accept the application, ask him to give you a written endorsement why he is refusing the application. Draft an application before hand under the Right to information Act, seeking to know what are the documents that you are to provide for getting a Khata, under the law, rules or any guidelines and for copies of these documents. A fundamental rule that you must insist upon, is that nobody in the government can orally refuse anything. They must give you an endorsement in writing. And the RTI is the most potent tool in your hands, for demanding information in writing.
In many instances of corruption, officials demanding unnecessary papers and then hint to you that they can do the job if you bribe them. This is a giveaway! If an official offers to do your work without additional papers if you pay a bribe, it means that such papers are definitely not necessary in the first place. In such cases do the following things:
(i) Ask the officials to demand these papers in writing and record the conversation.
(ii) Use the RTI to find out if such papers are really mandatory as per law?
(iii) Also use the RTI to find out whether such papers are demanded from from other applicants.
If somebody tries to approach you to pay a bribe, please take the following approach:
(a) Do not be submissive. Look confident. Look him in the eye. Ask him for his name, call him by his name. Do not call him -sir. Be polite but do not show unnecessary respect. Be firm and confident.
(2) Tell him that you want a Khata and you are applying in the prescribed format. Also tell him that you suspect that things will move only if you pay a bribe. Tell him very clearly, that you will not pay a bribe.
(3) if he asks you for money, then loudly, so that others also hear what you are saying, say that you will give him a bribe only if he gives you a receipt. Or make it very clear that you will not pay him one paisa.
(4) Ask him to show the government rule under which he is asking for Rs.15,000 as other charges. You may also take a print out from the BBMP website where the charges are given.
(5) Keep an application under the Right to Information Act ready and promptly file it before him, if he is not willing to give the details.
(6) Talk about going to the Lokayukta too, with a complaint. Also say that you will escalate the matter to higher officials. The phone numbers of the zonal commissioners are available publicly, you may call them or schedule an appointment with them to report this matter.
Once you do all this, most officials back off and immediately do your work. They are always afraid of knowledgeable people.
I agree with you that you must record and videograph corruption as it happens. We are also thinking of a way of doing this on our website.
Regards,
Raghu
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