DC says he has to take permission of Commissioner to not take bribes

It is no secret that residents of the national capital face rampant corruption that exists in various government offices, but if the attitude of the government officials is anything to go by then the wait for a corruption free country is a long one. This was what people learnt when they visited the Deputy Commissioner office, Central District, Daryaganj, New Delhi launching the “Say No To Bribe” campaign.

Nearly 100 people had gathered at DC office with a declaration in hand stating that the offices of the DC office would not accept bribe or allow their colleagues to take bribe. Surprisingly, the Deputy Commissioner, Akash Mohapatra, outrightly refused to sign the declaration saying that he would have to first seek the permission of the Commissioner. Yashwant Singh, an IAC volunteer, who was a part of a team of three persuading the DC to sign the declaration, informed that the DC fist said that they were not allowed to do so under existing rules. However, he had no answer when he was asked to cite the rules. Later the DC said he can sign the declaration only if the Commissioner permits. He also asked the volunteers to visit the commissioner’s office which was nearby to seek permission. Rajkumar, another member of the team, said, “It is shocking that the DC refused to sign a piece of paper that just said he would neither indulge in corruption himself nor allow his colleagues to do so.” This was contrary to the attitude of some of the junior staff who willingly signed the declaration. In total, 21 officers signed the declaration.

The volunteers proceeded to paste stickers stating “Bhrashtachar Nished” (corruption free zone) across the campus. The volunteers then peacefully sat outside the office of the DC shouting slogans of “Inqalab Zindabad”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Red-Tapism Down Down”. However, this had no effect on the DC who quietly left the office premises without signing any declaration.

They sat in protest outside the office of the DC till late evening. Later the volunteers left the venue vouching to come back again.

The “Say No to Bribe” campaign was launched under the banner of India Against Corruption. Starting this week, the volunteers plan to visit various government offices with the tricolor in hand and get declarations signed from officials. Similar initiatives are already being held in Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai.