Pay bribe and pray for a water connection here
In Spite Of Arrest Of Official, Graft Rampant
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:09.11.2019
Residents of areas added to Greater Chennai Corporation in 2011 struggle to get water and sewage connections eight years down the line. While red tape is rampant, residents say authorities refuse to process filled-in applications unless a bribe is paid.
While officials dismiss this as a wild allegation, an FIR filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) last week shows officials employing delaying tactics to extract money from applicants. The FIR came following the arrest of a superintending engineer of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metrowater). According to the FIR, Metrowater senior engineer R Vijayakumari allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹1lakh for processing an application from a gated community of 93 residentsin Nolambur for water andsewer connections.The residents’ group had paid a fee of ₹37.42lakh towards infrastructure development and connection charges. They had also bought meter chambers for water connections, rain water harvesting system and water meters. Metrowater officials inspected the place and issued a ‘job completed’ certificate, but the department did no ground work to provide water and sewage connections. Residents said the engineer asked for ₹1lakh bribe, half of it as advance. DVAC laid a trap and caught the official red-handed taking ₹50,000 from the residents.
Residents of peripheral areas of the city have similar complaints of officials demanding bribe,either directly or by delaying the work. D Sundarraman, 76, general secretary of Venkatapuram Residents’ Welfare Association in Ambattur, said it is difficult to prove bribery in the government departments, but many knew it happens. “Some files are processedquickly,while others gather dust,” he said.
Banu Vishwanath, president of Piruthipakkam Residents’ Welfare Association in Ambattur, said officials exploit the desperation and ignorance of residents to demand bribe. Ramalingam, another resident of Ambattur,said60 residentsin WestBalajiNagar gotwater connection without bribe as they were supported by a non-governmental organisation that took up civic issues. “When residents approach individually, huge amounts have to be paid as bribe,” he said. Residents said they chose to settle in these neighbourhoods by buying a homewiththeir lifetimesavings as they could not afford houses in the city. But even after these areas were added to the city, the benefits of being part of the corporation are yet to reach them.
A Metrowater official said many residents had not got connections asthey wereopposedto the corporation’s property tax rates. He, however, declined to comment on complaints of corruption in the department.
STRUGGLE FOR WATER
In Spite Of Arrest Of Official, Graft Rampant
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:09.11.2019
Residents of areas added to Greater Chennai Corporation in 2011 struggle to get water and sewage connections eight years down the line. While red tape is rampant, residents say authorities refuse to process filled-in applications unless a bribe is paid.
While officials dismiss this as a wild allegation, an FIR filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) last week shows officials employing delaying tactics to extract money from applicants. The FIR came following the arrest of a superintending engineer of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metrowater). According to the FIR, Metrowater senior engineer R Vijayakumari allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹1lakh for processing an application from a gated community of 93 residentsin Nolambur for water andsewer connections.The residents’ group had paid a fee of ₹37.42lakh towards infrastructure development and connection charges. They had also bought meter chambers for water connections, rain water harvesting system and water meters. Metrowater officials inspected the place and issued a ‘job completed’ certificate, but the department did no ground work to provide water and sewage connections. Residents said the engineer asked for ₹1lakh bribe, half of it as advance. DVAC laid a trap and caught the official red-handed taking ₹50,000 from the residents.
Residents of peripheral areas of the city have similar complaints of officials demanding bribe,either directly or by delaying the work. D Sundarraman, 76, general secretary of Venkatapuram Residents’ Welfare Association in Ambattur, said it is difficult to prove bribery in the government departments, but many knew it happens. “Some files are processedquickly,while others gather dust,” he said.
Banu Vishwanath, president of Piruthipakkam Residents’ Welfare Association in Ambattur, said officials exploit the desperation and ignorance of residents to demand bribe. Ramalingam, another resident of Ambattur,said60 residentsin WestBalajiNagar gotwater connection without bribe as they were supported by a non-governmental organisation that took up civic issues. “When residents approach individually, huge amounts have to be paid as bribe,” he said. Residents said they chose to settle in these neighbourhoods by buying a homewiththeir lifetimesavings as they could not afford houses in the city. But even after these areas were added to the city, the benefits of being part of the corporation are yet to reach them.
A Metrowater official said many residents had not got connections asthey wereopposedto the corporation’s property tax rates. He, however, declined to comment on complaints of corruption in the department.
STRUGGLE FOR WATER
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