Money can give you a smooth take-off to heaven
By Manisha Yadav
Paying that extra buck from cradle to grave has become the norm of the day. But what if one has to grease those outstretched palms even after death?
A respondent from Bangalore shared his agony over having to pay a bribe to get his deceased father buried. Adding more misery to the bereaved, a sum of Rs 1,050 was demanded by the municipal services employee to bury the body. The employee refused to budge if the amount is not paid. For details read: http://www.ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/corruption-open-hand.
A similar incident was faced by another respondent from the City when he went to cremate his friend. The regular fee charged for registration for cremation is Rs 50. The respondent was charged Rs 150 by the woman official there and an additional Rs 1,000 for other staff who would perform the cremation. He was forced to pay up since he wanted to collect the ashes of his friend.
The officials are well aware of the helpless position of families, who are already in an inconsolable state when they are at the crematorium. These are clearly instances of cashing in on the tragedy of others.