Efforts……..but all in vain

Let me clear this out before you go ahead and read the whole story, I am absolutely frustrated, angry and feel helpless when I am writing this. The story is about my own experience of dealing with the government machinery (to be specific the Police and the Passport Authorities) in the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP).

People like us who belong to northern India have this rosy picture about how good things are in Southern India. We believe in South, the government is efficient, the literacy rate is on higher side and use of computers has made efficiency levels really high in all government departments. How about this when I say this is all CRAP….. SHEER NON-SENSE……BULL SHIT.

In the month of January I decided to get a Police Clearance Certificate (required for a Visa) from Hyderabad and I got all the applications ready. I went in to the Passport office and with a hard day’s struggle I managed to file my application and was also asked to submit my Passport along with it. A week passed by and I got no communication from the Passport office and no police verification happened. Another week went by and I started to get a bit anxious. I could wait no more and as suggested by a friend, I called up the local police station to inquire about the status. The police personnel on the other side responded and agreed to meet me the next day. He did come and did the verification and boasted aloud about how big a favor he has done to me by coming over for the verification.

Wait a minute, I did pay Rs 300 as fees to the Passport Office to get the certificate, so is this my BLOODY duty to run after the police guy to get the verification done. Oh, one critical thing I forgot, my first experience with corruption. I get a call from the police guy the next day that he wants some additional document and I have to personally go give it to him. I met the guy and I felt really nice that he gave me a ride back to home on his scooter but on our way back he kept giving me subtle hints of how less his salary is and that he doesn’t get any conveyance re-imbursement and he went on and on and on. As he dropped me near my place, I knew that he wanted money from me and clearly conveyed in his tone that if I don’t pay him, my case isn’t getting anywhere. I took out 200 Rs and gave it to him and he assured me that my file will go through in two days time. I confirmed with him after two days and was assured that the file has gone.

It has been another two weeks since then and I didn’t hear anything from the Passport office and I started to wonder if that police guy actually submitted the report or not. I called him again and after a week of following up was told by him and I quote “I did my job, bade sahib (senior officer) didn’t sign for this long that is why the report hasn’t gone as yet”. Hang on…. I paid the guy and he told me the file is gone…… Are u kidding with me that the file has still not gone. Could I do something?? No way. Who wants a bad Police Report.

The police guy asked me to come over to the Police Commissioner office and let me tell you the reason why, the police guy wanted to show mw that he has done his job and is forwarding the file to the clerk to finally dispatch it to the passport office. I had to leave office early and traveled 15 kilometers to see the handover….. WOW. On top of that the clerk asked me to come personally to take the dispatch number.  I requested that it would be difficult to leave office early again and if I could call him for the number, he plainly refused.

I went to the Police Commissioner Office the next day to meet the clerk and no surprise he was missing from his desk. To find a government official on his desk is like finding an oasis in the desert. After an hour long wait, I did find my oasis, I mean the clerk. I thought for a second that this looks like job done at the police end and there came the shock.

This is very important stuff. As the clerk was scribbling on the post-it to write the dispatch number for me, he said and I quote “kya kucch paise denge kya? (will you want to give me some money?). I was shocked and for a moment I thought, how he sitting in the Police Commissioner office dare can ask me to pay him a bribe. I knew there is no escape and was about to take out my wallet and he whispered and I quote “yahaan nahin senior officer dekh rahe hain” (not here as the senior officers are looking on). Eventually the clerk let me go without taking any money and I felt a bit victorious with getting away without paying anything.
Now, I thought I can get after the Passport authorities to give me the certificate as I had the dispatch number of my Police report. With this hope I went to the Passport Office and stood in line for 2.5 hours to meet a Public Relations Officer who looked into her system and told me the report hasn’t come as yet. I gave her the dispatch number and told her that I need my passport for urgent travel so please issue me the Clearance Certificate as well. I was told and I quote “the report hasn’t come if you want you can take your application back along with your passport”. I really needed the Passport and told her to give back my Passport.

After 2 long months, expenses on taxi, bribes and time, I came out a big Loser of the whole episode. I feel humiliated and have been treated roughly. I have developed a hatred for Andhra Pradesh government officials and would not advice anyone to come and live in this place.  I have a lot to write but would end here and follow this story with some other incidents in detail.