Comment Pieces

Oh, no! Even the postman?

Posted on May 28, 2012

Our very own postman clad in brown on a humble cycle is immortalised as a harbinger of good tidings in fictional pieces and movies. Well, it seems the corruption bug has not spared him either.

Demands for money to deliver important letters has irked respondents all over the country.  One of our respondents from Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) was literally at the mercy of a postman who refused to deliver his passport unless he was paid Rs 1,200 on the spot. The audaciousness involved in this affair is that unlike other corruption-packed departments, the postman literally stands at your doorstep and makes his demands http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/post-master.

One of our New Delhi respondents spoke about how a postman refused to part with the passport of his parents unless he gave him money. Without verifying the recipient’s credentials the postman directly broached the topic of the money he needed. Our respondent was disgusted but gave him the money, nevertheless. However, he chose not to share the sum paid with us http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/why-pay-something-postman-supposed-do.

With passport being such an indispensable travel document, postmen know the value this holds for a person. Moreover, with the document being issued in an envelope bearing the seal of the  Regional Transport Office, it is easy for the postman to know the inside contents, thereby making him demand huge sums.  

Manisha Yadav