Gilli Danda with BBMP

My Gilli Danda with BBMP

Have you had an experience with corporation (BBMP)? I did, recently, to get my Khata transfer.

On a Saturday evening around 3pm I go to the Corporation office and I enquired the place for Khata transfer. The person who was seated there said that the officer would come around 4 - 4:30pm, please come by then. I went back home and came back after an hour or so. I had all the required documents. The office had another space inside, where they have other official works, papers and dealings take place. They asked me to sit inside and I did. Then, 2 of them came inside, reviewed my Khata form and the property document copies.

The officer said that the latest property tax copy is missing and while I was asking what should I do for the same, the officer called the property-tax person and enquired about the tax payment for my property and they confirmed that the tax for my property was all paid. The had a look at all documents and the officer said to the other person "file it right away, we will get this done immediately". I was surprised, how is it they are doing it so fast? I smelled something fishy. Then, the other person said you take sir's number and give a call on Monday. I said "ok". After this, the officer filled the khata form and signed it, highlighted the address and other points in all the property documents and tagged all of them together.

The other person says "Madam you know right, the USUAL". I did NOT understand what this usual is/was... Then, after a kind of discussion, got to know they need some money (bribe). I heard the Xerox shop keeper saying that if you pay them Rs. 200 - 1000 or so, only then they will do some thing; this immediately flashed to me and I took a Rs. 500 note. When I gave it to the other person he said "Madam keep it in your purse, take these forms get in on Monday and give it to our clerk". Then, he said, I need to get all the original property documents of the copies I have produced, then, the mother deed is not clear, need to get a clear copy and all. I was surprised at these list of things they asked me to get now and not before. I asked him directly "what is that you expect from me". He openly said "nothing less than Rs.4000" (and my DD to the government BBMP is only Rs.3600. Their bribe is more than the fees we pay to BBMP). I asked (to myself) your bribe is more than the DD amount I need to pay to the government, is it right on your part to be so greedy?

I was not ready to pay so much of money as bribe, kept the money with me and also took the form from them and returned back home, disappointed.

Now, I thought I have to go ICICI bank and talk to them (ICICI bank is another havoc .... uph). After so many things (panga) with ICICI, I got the list of documents sealed and signed. At last I had all the things they had stated. When we went to submit khata transfer form along wtih the copies of property documents, the Revenue officer started demanding for the originals. When we said that we have taken home loan on this property and this is what we have got from the bank, they started saying that each and every copy of the property documents must be sealed by ICICI bank, which is actually not true. Then, we clearly said that the list of documents with the ICICI bank seal and sign is the proof for the same, and this is the process followed by ICICI bank. Then, after a lot of argument, they obliged, took the form and signed the acknowledgement form, gave it back to us. Uph, one major milestone achieved, that too without bribe - I was happy (but this would not last long).

After a week or 2 the officer calls me and says that they need to come and see the property, so we need to go the corporation office. As I was in office, I immediately called home and informed. At home, 2 uncles (one who was working in revenue office and one person who has a contract for KEB - so both of them knew how greedy are these people) who had come to meet dad were also there. They both went down to corporation office and waited for quite some time. Later, the officer came down with them and evaluated the property.

After everything, the BBMP officer was like waiting and uncles started talking to them. The officer said "you give whatever you want". When they asked him again he said "if I ask Rs.10,000 would you give". [Hmm, his greed has no limits]. Then, after a long discussion they gave him RS. 2000 and uncles said "after we get the acknowlegement we will pay you more Rs. 500".

I was not aware about any of these at that point in time. But later when I learned about this, I literally got furious. I said my mom, I was ready to fight this out, why did you bribe him. I was ready to wait for another year, anyway I have neatly drafted a letter to Commissioner BBMP before submitting the Khata form and documents, so, we could have seen how far would this go. Then, my dad blasted me saying if you want anything to be done, we have to (bribe) give money. You dont know the practical aspects of life, your young blood makes you talk like these.

The uncle (worked in revenue office earlier) also called me and said, if you dont give money, they will just put your file aside and the cost you incur would be much more than what you can think and they can drag it for years giving some silly reasons which you would never know. So, if you compare, it is better to pay them some bribe and see our work is done. It is not worth the money and time that you will invest if you dont bribe them. I said uncle it is not about money, it is about principle, I understand they need some money, I was ready to give initially but they are too too greedy and we cannot fulfil such greed. He too said that my young blood makes me talk like this, after 40 I will know the practicalities of life and all.

Anyway, the story is with bribe of Rs. 2500 and many walks to ICICI bank and many visits to corporation office, got my Khata transfer done. Final milestone achieved.

Gilli-Danda game was over and the Corporation officer won :-(.

Suggestion (documents that I submitted):

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1. Letter to Commissioner BBMP, clearly stating the documents with the respective ID numbers, dates, etc.

2. Khata form duely filled and signed by both the parties (tranferree and transferer).

3. All the required property documents copies (mother deed, absolute saled deed of the prev owner(if this property had many hands), your sale deed, agreement of sale, Latest EC (15yrs), Khata cerificate, Khata Extract, latest property tax paid).

4. If you have home loan - list of documents from the bank, which should be sealed and signed by the bank.

Even if everything is proper, without BRIBE nothing works. Hope this would ever change!!! If there are like-minded people, I strongly feel we should get this eradicated some how, please let me know if you have some great ideas for the same.