"It's 700%, not 40%": B'luru man alleges exorbitant corruption in K'taka; pens personal experience

The Bengaluru man in distress said that the local engineers were asking Rs 35,000 in bribes for work for which the contractor gets Rs 5,000. There's more to the story.

Any mention of corruption hardly springs a surprise, if at all, it echoes the sentiment of many who faced corruption in varying degrees. While the elections in the state of Karnataka are done away with, the charges and allegations of 40% are far from over.

Recently, a Bengaluru man alleged that the corruption figure is not 40%, rather it's 700%. Sharing from a personal experience, Twitter user Brij Singh writes, "Now that elections are over, let me share a personal experience on how corrupt Karnataka is. Got an EV, need to upgrade my Elec Meter. Tried Namma Bescom website which never works. The local engineers are asking Rs 35k in bribe for work which contractor gets Rs 5k. It's 700% not 40%."

When probed further by netizens or argued with, he adds, "So what should I say then? I have run from pillar to post for last 3 months. Things are so bad they are not interested in doing the work even if I'm ready to pay the bribe."

40% - From an allegation to a self-explanatory figure

In Karnataka, any mention of the figure 40% does not even need any context. Since the number has lately come to symbolize corruption and red tapism. It all began in the July of 21, when the president of the Karnataka State Contractors' Association, D Kempanna wrote a letter to PM Modi alleging large-scale corruption in the award and implementation of civil contracts in the state.

So what is the solution?

Any solution on paper depends solely on the intent of those in power and implementation by the enforcement agencies. Brainstorming a few possible solutions to the problem, Singh adds, "City level common services Single Window Clearance. Aadhar based ID+ Digilocker integration for Elec/Water/prop tax. Common API Layer like UPI where all department level systems expose relevant services for online submissions."

Netizens echo the sentiment

Barely anyone contested the presence of corruption in getting work done by the government. Many shared a similar ordeal, "This is really frustrating but this is how it works. It starts with a birth certificate but ends with a death certificate. Scam capital of the world!," wrote a netizen. Another joined in, "It's same thing all over India, irrespective of government in power. I am upgrading to 3 phase in Odisha and paid Rs 12k. It's not a BJP government on Odisha but corruption is rampant." Another one vented, "If you vote on religious issues, you have to pay the price."