rendezvous with system

Aug 28 . 2006

“Corruption” has become life of INDIA, “you can’t live without corruption”,”Corruption is breath of Govt Employee”. I always used to hear those dialogues but never felt in a true sense until I decided to get an NOC (No Objection Certificate) for my bike. I had decided to leave Bangalore and needed this as I was carrying my bike with me.

I started finding out how to get these and talked to some Vendors ( or Agents ) . They asked me 1000 Rs .When I asked why , they told “400 to RTO , 400 to Police and 200 their commission”. Then I called up RTO and asked them the procedure. They told it won’t cost me a penny. I again called up two agents and both said same thing with utmost confidence,” Try it, they will make you come again and again” and getting a clearance from Police will be good exercise for me. I asked one of my friend who had shifted from some other city to Bangalore and he told me that everywhere its same thing. In his previous city he had to pay money to Police to get clearance. I am very puzzled what to do ..should I also simply pay money and have peaceful life OR do some thing which is right . and I decided for latter. Let’s C tomorrow , how things happen to me .

Aug 29 . 2006

Morning I reached RTO . Entered and there they have marked nicely various needs and associated room numbers .I headed to room#8 and met this clerk for NOC. He was very nice and polite. I had taken all forms with me filled and all necessary docuements. He checked them and adviced me what all were missing. I also had to affix photos on the forms . Now here was first glitch I faced. I had called up RTO people before landing there and they had asked me to get 2 photos ( all other agents also had asked for 2 photos). When I told him that he said ‘fine’. Now second task wsa to stick Pencil impression of Chassic No on forms and I started searching for Gum. Customer Care guy told me go to room no #3 , but there was no Gum and they asked me to go to room#4 and again there was no Gum ! I had to go down and buy one ! Fine ..after that again went to Clerk and he asked me to proceed to CRTO for approval. Now the actions started !

Action1 : “Can’t you get all things in a file and come back ..also I want 3 photos , stuck on each form “ CRTO almost yelled. Fine…I can understand he is meeting hundreds of people and some of them might have been nuts who might have spoiled his mood. I quietly came out and went to Photo Shop near by and got 4 photos done. Pasted on each form and again took them to him.

Action2 : “Still you haven’t got the envelope? And write your destination address “ asked CRTO. I said “Sir ,I am shifting there and I have no address yet there”. He replied “Put Company address which you are joining and attach one proof for the same..go !”

Action3: ..now I panicked. I didn’t had offer letter/address proof of the company and procuring that from New company would take few days ..! I just came out , went to a shop down staits , got a nice File cover and went back to him ..and told him everything . He asked some cross Qs and finally signed ! Oh man !! what a relief !

Went back to Clerk … he was a real nice person . Checked everything and sent me to other person who in turn took out a form which I need to get approved from Police Commisioner ( CRIME ) . Clerk quickly signed and told me what all to do !!

Good ! so far it wasn’t bad experience ..infact it was almost good , leaving CRTO’s sending me twice downstairs and occasional yelling !!

Now tomorrow I plan to go to Police Commissioner for the Validation !!Let’s C !

Aug30, 2006

Reached Police Commissioner’s Office at 10:20 am , a nice fellow at reception told me where to proceed for my work. When I went there , one clerk told that officer will come at 11:30 L Had to wait till then as I can’t come back and go again due to traffic congestion ! Arounf 11:15 the officer came and took my application and told “come at 3:30 pm “ ..my heart sank ! going back 10 KMs , coming back again in noon time , seeing already I have spent arnd 2 hrs in this acitivty.I pleaded with him “Sir , I came from far locality and can’t come back again in noon, kindly do it ASAP “, and he got offended seems “ this is office work and not factory work , it takes at least 7 days , you know that ? “ I kepy my crying face ! then he said “Ok ,come aftere 1 hr .” I waited 1 hr and he gave me certificate . Work done ..I was happy ! Without paying any penny J

After that rushed to RTO again , submitted all docs with this certificate and they asked me to come after 3 days for NOC !! Happy So Far !!

September 6, 2006

Today after more than 3days I went in the morning to RTO . I was supposed to collect NOC today from Counter#9 but none was there till 10:30 in the morning. Then went to they guy who promised me for 3 days, he saw my NOC and asked me to come back at 4 pm.

4 pm in the evening I went there, gave my NOC request receipt to counter#9 , after few minuted peon asked me to meet CRTO ( same whom I met first day in RTO , my stomach started chirping). When I went there he asked me where is my file ? I said I don’t know , peon asked me to see you so I assume it should be here, pointing to a pile of files on his table. He didn’t bother to look at the files and sent me to peon again to confirm ( plz note now he was sitting in separate chamber than other officers and peon).Peon told me he has put file there , I came back to CRTO and told him .He called one other peon and asked him to search in one pile of files and there wasn’t my file. There were two more piles but the peon didn’t bother to search there and CRTO also safely ignoring that asked me to go to counter#8 and find out where is my file .I went there and there guy told me file is there only on CRTO’s table. I again like football returned to his office and this time luckily that peon who put the file there was also there and he took out file from another file. Now CRTO opened the file and looks at it and starts yelling to me again “ why you are in hurry ? There is still so much time “ I told sir ,I had to leave Bangalore by the weekend and in the morning officer asked me to come back at 4 pm and earliyer he had told me that this work will be done in 3 days. He said “that person doesn’t know anything. When r u leaving Bangalore ?” I said Saturday , “then you come on Friday 4 pm “ he concluded ! I like crestfallen came back to office.

I won’t be surprised if he tells me on Friday that its still not completed ! Let’s wait and watch !

Sept 8,2006

With heavy heart I entered RTO . It today I don't get this , its gonna to take good time. Went straight to officer and was pleasantly surprised to see my NOC ready. Peon gave me NOC and took my sign. I was feeling like I had won a war.

Getting NOC from RTO without paying a single rupee bribe in few days is an achievement. Only think which I felt bad was the non-friendly behavior of some of the officers in RTO. I also felt some of them were just trying to impose themselves on me e.g. Assistant CRTO asking me to bring address proof which is not at all required.

October 13, 2006

Anyway battle half won , now I am in NOIDA and as an responsible citizen I am going to apply for re-registration number and state tax. All friends here said , no need to file for these , pay policewala whenever they catch you that will be cheaper but I think I am not buying that. Let's now C how NOIDA RTO treats me afterall its UP who is famous for such things !

October 18, 2006

I went to RTO, Noida with my NOC for registration , well things here in NOIDA seem totally haphazard and officers here are also non-friendly. I asked some one and he just gave me some casual answers. Infact there was no dedicated person for Queries.Then I talked to on agent outside , he told me that there is a rule here that around 120 KMS radius of delhi onyl EURO-III standard vehicles will be registered from 2005 ..now as my bike is 2004 make and is EURO-II its not supposed to get registered. Then he added that after paying bribe to officers he can still get my bike temporary registered and then after 6 months he can get me numbers. Total cost for whole this work will be around 4500 Rs !
Then I talked to one person ( common man ) who came there for some work , I asked him do we really need to go throught agents ..can't we go directly ? He told me his experience that officers here have settings with agents and they do everything to harass and discourage common people so that they come only via agents ( e.g. by picking small small errors and issues in forms etc e.g. they don't even entertain Employer's address proof as valid address proof if you go directly , but with agent that will work )

I was so heart broken and feeling so bad ..this is our country ? One side we are advancing in nano-technology and other side our govt system is so rotten . I can still afford to pay 4000 and get things done , but then what about common people ? I also miss here the system for public grievance ( which is there in Bangalore at least ) . In the end, I didn't try this because I realized I am not sure where I would be after few years, I might go back to Bangalore . But one of my friend , he got it done , he has to go there 3-4 times but finally it was done.