CORRUPT BUREAUCRACY

Binu had bought three and a half cents of land to build a house. The family had been staying in rented premises for long. They had enough of the nomadic life. The ground was level and square and was adjacent to an irrigation canal.  The banks of the canal were dotted with houses on both shores. Binu was confident that he could build his dream house there.

Binu was a self made man. He had lost his father when he was a child. It was left to Kamalamma, his mother to look after the four children with great difficulty after the sad demise of her husband.  Binu worked as a mechanic in a garage to help his mother even as he was attending the school.   Soon after he had completed schooling he managed to start a workshop of his own for four wheelers.

Building a house is not a joke. You need a plan certified by a registered architect. You need approvals from government departments as well as the municipality. Binu submitted all relevant documents at the municipal office. As nothing had happened for over a month Binu made enquiries at the office. He was told that the delay was due to the absence of the building inspector who was on long leave. The building inspector had to visit the property and certify that the proposed building would not violate any of the rules in force.

The building inspector visited the property after another month. She had arrived in an autoricksha. The lady told Binu that she could not issue the no objection certificate as the proposed building was in violation of the norms. Binu argued that the banks of the canal were dotted with houses and there was no justice in the rejection of his application.  The building inspector affirmed that she would never approve the construction of the house at the proposed site. He took out Rs.3000.00 from his pocket and offered it to the building inspector. The good lady rebuked him for offering her a bribe. She asked him to pay the autoricksha charges.  

The next day Binu visited the municipal office. He met the building inspector. She repeated that she could not approve a construction in violation of the norms. As a despondent Binu was coming out the office a peon followed him. The peon told him that he would get the approval for Binu the next day provided he would hand over a full bottle of foreign made liquor. Binu agreed as he had lost all hopes.

The next day when Binu called at the office the peon met him. He was told that the papers were ready. But they would be handed over only after Binu had handed over the bottle. The bottle was promptly exchanged and Binu stepped out of the office with the building permit.