Corruption debate: Go bribe-free in 22 steps

There’s been a lot of debate on the Lokpal Bill, and the venality of netas and babus. But what about ordinary citizens? Though we often have no choice but to pay a bribe, isn’t it within our power to refuse to do so and break the cycle of corruption? With this thought, DNA, over the next few days brings you a series where eminent persons speak about putting their foot down.

A Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officer from the assessment of property tax department was asking for a bribe of about Rs40,000 to lawfully give 'commercial status' to an apartment where we conduct business.

This, despite the PMC's building permission department and the apartment management having given us No Objection Certificates. The PMC records also showed us as the new owners.

Since we had politely turned down the PMC officer's avarice, he slapped a Rs1.54 lakh fine, showing that we had illegally commenced business under residential status in the previous financial year. The previous year's paid tax receipt was already with us and we had the documents to show that business commenced only from May 2011. How did the system accept another tax receipt for the same period on the same property number?

In the meantime, we also received from the PMC, a tax demand notice for the current year, 2011-12. I had to make 22 rounds of the PMC to have the matter resolved, but the harassment continued. We then informed the PMC officer that the file with all the relevant documents was ready to be shown to the Anti-Corruption Bureau as there was every pointer indicating towards harassment for refusing to pay a bribe and that it was clear that the PMC's laid out systems were bypassed to coerce a bribe.

The officer concerned, who was refusing to take our calls (as bribes were refused to him), promptly called up on June 7, accepted his mistake, apologised, and came over to hand us the tax receipt (Rs26,800) under a commercial use status.
The bottom line is that it takes time to battle the system into working, but one has to be patient, tenacious and on the right side of law. However, does it have to be so ruthlessly unfriendly?

Girish Deshpande is an entrepreneur and a citizen-activist