Please help - BBMP area incharge asking for Bribe

[Vinay23aug]

Hi,

I started house construction in March after obtaining approval from BBMP. I paid all relevant fees including road cutting charges which came upto 1.8 lakhs. This is for 2 floors construction in a 30×40 site.

We did road cutting now to take electric connection and the BBMP guy came to check. Even though we have already paid the fees he is shouting at us. He is using abusive language and telling us that we should cut only in the night. We should inform again. This and that.

Basically he is not giving any clear idea about the process. He is asking us for Rs 60,000 as bribe.

I'm from a middle class family and I'm fed up of paying bribes.

I have paid the following amount as bribe so far.
1. Rs 30,000 to get BBMP approval (on top of 1.8 lakhs government fees as mentioned above)
2. Rs 2,000 for water meter bill issuer. I paid this bribe so that I can surrender the meter.
3. Rs 1,000 for Bescom meter bill issuer.
4. Rs 1,700 for traffic police. We should inform the police before digging the road itseems. Not sure how true this is but I paid the money.

Everyone assumes that we are loaded if we are constructing a house and we are forced to pay bribe at every stage. But only we know the difficulty of arranging money.

I am so frustrated right now. My dad took the plan copy to his office. He said come next day. And the next day he did the same. My dad is an illiterate so the guy is taking him on a ride. Today he finally checked the plan copy and asked him to pay Rs 60k bribe.

He is threating us and I feel horrible about the entire system in our country now.

Please advise.

[RashmiL]

Which area is this ?

[anushk]

I don't think anyone has a solution for this. Every single person in BBMP is corrupted. We should either have political power or pay them by negotiation.

[Vinay23aug]

@RashmiL Hosakerehalli, BSK 3rd Stage.

[Lalitha36]

Please send emails to the BBMP commissioner (comm@bbmp.gov.in) and Karnataka Lokayukta (kla-reg@nic.in), highlighting all your issues. I'm sure you would get some relief. It has worked in the past for many. All the very best.

[Sandeepk09]

Telephone that guy and record his conversation over phone asking how much bribe he need then go to lodge and complaint in police station.If still this didn't get resolved complaint to DCP of the area. Still didn't get resolved.

[ganeshncm]

Frankly, there is no way out of bribe..if you delay and ignore they will reduce..what they are asking you is quite nominal

I waited 1 year for plan approval,. Visiting them every other day . they reduced bribe by half..it is lot of effort.

Everytime we unload sand, or get RMC, we have to pay police ..they are saying lorries obstruct the path.. this is at 630am on a internal road

Electrical temporary bribe was 5k plus charges

Water disconnection and reusing old sanitary line for labourer temporary use - 5k and 500rs per month for just using the linr

Road cutting .. everyone from BBMP to corporator place to bwssb come over...it is more harrowing experience..

Now struggling for permanant meter...

BBMP inspectors drop in once in while, even when I am 100% by law..

It goes on..common man cannot do much..after paying such hefty income tax, we have to bear this and ever rising material costs..

[divija.kn]

What is the designation of the bbmp guy?

What is the reason he is asking bribe?
If the reason is invalid, tell him that.

Do not pay the bribe immediately. Try to negotiate and make it clear to him that you are not going to pay any amount that they ask. It may not be possible to avoid paying the bribe. But that doesn’t mean they can harass you as per their wish.

[chetanamhm]

hi,

Just another victim to the BBMP group to whom I succumbed and paid 25k bribe for road cutting charges. This is apart from already having paid 30 k towards road cutting along with the plan approval. Its rather confusing state of affairs where am not sure if i should be happy about being successful in negotiating bribe from 40k what was initially demanded down to 25k or feel let down as an educated citizen of the country supporting bribe to get things done.

I was quiet rigid with my approach initially where i refused to let any contractors act as middle men and walked up to the ward office with all the necessary documentation & proof of having paid road cutting fee. Alas, they stretched the process by over a month and with more than 20 visits in person i figured my file wouldn't move. It started to feel like a joke and a waste of everyone's time.

The caseworker had the audacity to say he didn want to accept the money from me (female) but from my male friend who had accompanied me. So much for chauvinism when it comes to accepting lakshmi (money) as bribe.
"Common man/woman suffers"