Poll Analysis | Bribe for plot or apartment registration
The reports on our website show that the Registration Department is one of the most corrupt government bodies in India. As of now, 2,212 reports have been registered in our website by complainants throughout the country against the bribery system in the Registration Department.
People often write to us complaining on how the Department extorts money from them in the name of registration of their plots or apartments. To know more about the experiences of respondents, we asked, ‘Did you pay a bribe to register your apartment or plot?’
Shockingly, 56 per cent of voters admitted of having paid a bribe to register their property while 30 per cent of voters did not pay a bribe and fought their way back without paying a rupee to bribe-demanding officers. Another 7 per cent of voters knew someone who was forced to pay a bribe to Registration Department officers to get their work done. The rest 6 per cent were fortunate who did not have to pay a bribe.
Mentioning some specific respondents’ stories, a respondent from Tamil Nadu writing to us said that he had to pay a bribe of Rs. 4000 to government officers for the registration of a Housing Board plot, which was allocated to the respondent’s father in 2010. After struggling for two years, the person was forced to pay the bribe demanded by the Registration Department.
Another respondent from Mumbai had to pay a sum of Rs. 15,000 as a bribe to the Registration Department. The person mentioning about problems faced by his wife, wrote on our website, “There were always some problems despite her repeated visits to the government department that eventually went in vain. My wife had already booked her flight back to London and thus pleaded with the officer to sort out the matter. Eventually, the officer offered to sort this for Rs 15000. The moment bribe was paid, the matter got resolved.”