- Bribe Fighter
- 13 years ago
- 2757 views
Agent tried to fool me
I got the driving license through an agent in Changanachery, in Kottayam district. But when I received the license my name was misspelled in it. I was staying in Trivandrum (200 kms from Changanachery) for my job purposes. So to avoid multiple journeys I thought I shall go through the agent, who helped me to get the license, so that he will make things quick. I called the agent and he told me that the RTO at Changanachery is a man of bribe and if I don’t pay some 500 rupees, he won’t get my name corrected. And he told me that he has some fees (Rs.150 or so) and so I have to pay some 650 rupees to get the name corrected. I assumed that this is too much, because i haven’t done anything wrong, it’s their mistake and so I should get it corrected without any fee.
So on next Saturday, I went directly to the RTO, without meeting the agent. At the RTO Office, I informed one of the officers the purpose, and he told me RTO is out for some visit and will be back in 30 mins. So I waited and when the RTO came in I informed the purpose, he asked me if I have any document as proof of name. I had my SSLC book and passport, I showed it to him, he verified the records in his office, and confirmed that the name has a typo in the license. He asked me to give a request in a plain white paper and I did so. Then he printed out a new license and laminated it and gave it to me. All these activities took only around 30 minutes !!!! I asked him if I need to pay anything. He told no. And I was quite surprised. If I chose to send the license via the agent, he would have stolen 650 rupees from me.
That day I learned that it’s we the people who makes the bureaucrats corrupt. Actually it’s the agents, brokers and middle person, who entertain the corruption, because they are making huge profit from this. So if anyone wishes to stop the corruption, the first thing you need to do is try to avoid agents and try to do things yourself. Off course you may have some overhead, but if the agent forces you to pay a bribe, try doing it yourself.