Sunday, November 02, 2008

Village Officers

Those Corrupt Village Officers in Kerala.

Village offices in Kerala - Corruption, fraud and cheating

Following our ordeal with our local Village Officer, I wrote a letter to the then CM of Kerala, which elicited no action. The letter is reproduced below:

The Lady Village Officer at Omalloor, Pathanamthitta Dist., Kerala, has a penchant for cash. This was clearly visible at that office when I visited them in August, 2003, to pay Tax arrears (karam) on some of my properties at Omalloor, and when my mother visited that office during the last week of September, 2003, to have my newly purchased property to be made in my name and to pay the tax.

The village officer preaches that she is a very upright officer in front of everybody, but behind the door, on an individual basis, she collects huge sums as bribe in the name of Onam celebration, Independent Day Celebration etc. She cheated money out me and my mother. We are not the only victims. Her victims are especially the poor people. She will demand documents of trivial nature to harass the people, making them go round and round, for several days, and finally end up paying the demanded money to her to get things done.

I am not writing this to vent my anger over the ordeal she made me go through or that of my mother's bad experience as stated above, but the authorities must know the goings on in these village offices.

The notoriety of the said Village Officer is well known in the circles at Omalloor, but no one seems to talk about it, but instead undergo the harassment meted out to them in patience. There must be an end to it. I would have done something about it when I visited Kerala in August, 2003, as I said, however, I did not have the time to take this lady to tasks. On my next visit to India, and should I have a requirement at Omalloor Village Office, and if I find this lady gracing the occasion asking me money, then I will give her the run for her money, and that is a promise, your Hon. Chief Minister.

How could an alien Village Officer posted at my very native town, Omalloor, dare play games with me and the people in the neighborhood, especially the poor who are short on cash?

More on the subject…

Madam Village Officer, wherever you are currently practicing your trade, we will find you to answer to our questions sooner or later.

During my visit to Kerala in 2007, I saw another lady gracing the occasion as Village Officer at Omalloor Village Office, and I was told that she is an upright officer. Good for her.

However, I was told that a new Village Officer has been posted at Omalloor Village Office sometime in September/October, 2008, and he is a bigger evil than the one I encountered at that office in 2003. This fellow seems to be a chameleon of sorts in that he visits the houses in the Village after having received any application for service from any given person to check on his capacity to pay his bribes.

More about that guy will be revealed once known. So, please be tuned....

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