An engineer working with the electricity department in Telangana’s Karimnagar district startled everyone after he hung up a board which read that he is not corrupt and will not take bribes from citizens seeking his help.

The red board put up just behind the seat of Podeti Ashok, an assistant divisional engineer (ADE) in the Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL) office in Karimnagar town says, “I am uncorrupted. I will not accept bribe.”

The engineer’s act has not only surprised the visitors but also has irked other officers who feel that Ashok was trying to project them in a bad light by posing himself as an “angel”.

The 37-year-old from Kamalapur village, part of Warangal district condemned the bribe practice, particularly from the contractors to get their bills sanctioned and files approved. He said that he wanted to send a strong message to people who would swarm in with bribes to get their work done.

Ashok joined the electricity department in 2005. Since then he has kept himself away from the corrupt practices. He wanted other officers to follow his path of not working in exchange for a bribe. Once he was promoted as ADE in June this year, he decided not to entertain bribery, at least in his office.

“I only wanted to convey the message to the people that the entire department is not corrupt,” Ashok said.

He accepted the fact that his act did offend other officers in the department. “But I cannot help. That is my policy, and I am not coming in the way of others,” he added.

Divisional Engineer of NPDCL at Karimnagar S Ramachander Rao expressed his discontent on Ashok hanging the board and said it is embarrassing other employees in the department and is creating an impression that everybody else was corrupt.

He said he had asked Ashok to remove the board, but he is adamant on keeping it. “The higher-ups will look into the matter,” he added.

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