- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 1532 views
Bribe paid to tout for renewal of passport under tatkal becuase of appointment slots not not available despite trying each day for 2wks in a row
- Passport
- Renewal of Passport
- Paid INR 4,000
The passport issuance and renewal process is supposed to be completely computerized for Bangalore , Managalore and Hubli. As per the process - once you fill the online application online - you need to reserve an appointment slot at a PSK ( Public ********** Kendra) and go with all the required documents on that day. The process promises an SLA of 7-10 days for tatkal and 45 days for normal. The PSK or the regional passport office will not entertain you without an appt. and if you want to take your chances by showing up at the PSK - you could be spending days without success.
Uptill now one thought the Police Verification was the only place where you need to grease the palms. In the Silicon Alley of India - the bribe taking techniques are keeping up with the pace of changing technology. When I tried to get a tatkal apt online - was unsuccessful for 2wks straight. Each day I would log into the web site right at 8am , or just before or just after as advised by their call center and many others - but to no avail. Frustrated , I inquired around to see what others were doing and came to know of a person who for 4000/- can get you an appt. If you want him to chase the passport and get it dispatched the same day (which BTW is the stated process ) you need to lighten yourself with extra 2K. Else he would get you the Appt and then you are on your own.
Given the urgency of the situation - I had no choice - I had to avail the services of this person who asked me the login and password and file number and in 2hrs straight confirmed the appt for 3 days after.
Since then I have come to know of a few other people using this person's services . He runs a travel agency and also heard from many others about the frustration of not finding any apt slots.
What took me by a nasty surprise - how creative are we getting to hold on to our source of bribe even with an otherwise seemingly fool proof process.