- I Paid A Bribe
- 11 years ago
- 5057 views
I purchased a 0.65 acres piece of agricultural land near Kottakarai…
- Public Services
- Bribing of Government Officers
- Paid INR 19,000
I purchased a 0.65 acres piece of agricultural land near Kottakarai village, and went to register in Vanur registration office in Villupuram district. The document writer offered us a sales deed in English, to my relief, as I cannot read Tamil, but with many spelling & grammar mistakes, which I corrected. Besides the registration fee, with receipts of stamp paper etc, I was asked for Rs. 16500 for document writing, without a receipt. This sum was already agreed upon earlier, but I realised too late that without a receipt it amounts to a bribe.
Next step was a 'patta' (land papers) in Irumbai patta office, where the officer dragged the process for several months. An acquaintance from Kottakarai village finally got the papers after a paying a 'much-reduced' bribe of Rs. 2500 (which he only later admitted, as I had been refusing to pay any bribe). It is common knowledge that no papers are issued from that office without bribes.