Persistent curse of bribery in government services

Bribery in government offices is not a new phenomenon; it has been an unfortunate reality in various forms for as long as government services have existed. In many sectors, from healthcare to land revenue, the public continues to face the grim necessity of paying bribes to access basic services. Even patients, desperate for medical attention, often find themselves coerced into paying hospital staff, including doctors, for the care they need. Worse still, there are numerous reports of patients being denied adequate treatment due to their inability or unwillingness to pay these bribes.

When it comes to the Revenue Department, the problem is especially widespread. Revenue offices, including village offices, have long been notorious for their corrupt practices. Anyone who has had to rely on these offices knows the harsh reality of bribery. In the past, a small bribe of five or ten rupees might have sufficed to get things done. Today, however, the amounts have skyrocketed. With inflation and the depreciation of the rupee, bribe demands now run into tens of thousands, sometimes even lakhs of rupees.

The recent case of Subhash Kumar, the Deputy Tehsildar of Vaikom, is a stark reminder of the extent to which corruption has penetrated the system. Kumar was caught by the Vigilance Department while accepting a bribe of Rs. 25,000 from an expatriate. This was after he had initially demanded a bribe of Rs. 60,000 to process a land transaction involving 24 cents of land purchased in the name of the expatriate's wife. When the expatriate informed the Vigilance, Kumar attempted to avoid detection by directing the payment through an ATM cash deposit machine, a classic attempt to conceal the bribe transaction. Such is the brazenness of the corruption that is endemic in the system.

The Revenue Department has long maintained that steps have been taken to streamline services and eliminate the need for bribery. The government claims that once a property deed is executed, clients should be able to access relevant documents, complete transactions, and pay taxes within days, without any intermediary or recommendation needed. Moreover, many services, such as tax payments and document processing, are now available online, theoretically reducing the need for in-person interactions. However, the reality is far from ideal. For many services, especially those related to income and expenditure, land conversion and the issuance of certificates, citizens are still required to visit village offices multiple times, often facing demands for bribes from officials who are supposed to serve them.

Last year alone, 76 bribery cases were reported in the Revenue Department, and in the past seven years, 281 officials have been implicated in corrupt practices. Of these, 72 have been punished. Yet, despite these efforts, bribery continues to thrive, particularly in key areas such as land transactions, income and expenditure certifications and quarry licenses. It is important to note that not all village offices are corrupt; some places still function with integrity and serve the public without resorting to bribery but these offices are the exception, not the rule.

The Chief Minister has frequently urged government employees, especially those who directly interact with the public, to remain honest and service-minded. However, when ordinary citizens step into these offices, they often find that the ideals of public service are little more than a distant dream. While service organizations representing various categories of employees exist, they have largely failed to curb the pervasive culture of bribery.

The question remains: How long will the government tolerate the systematic exploitation of its citizens? The fight against corruption must begin with serious reforms, not just in policy but in changing the mindset of those entrusted with the responsibility of serving the public. Until that happens, the curse of bribery will continue to plague government services, undermining trust in the very institutions that are supposed to serve the people.