My Story: "I Have To Run Here And There Just Because I Don't Want To Give Bribe"

I am a person who cannot tolerate injustice and is very considerate towards living beings. I feel too much and some issues agitate me to core. This experience of mine has agitated me. Though I have solved the issue, I am furious over the whole scene and thus I want to bring this incident to light. On 1st December afternoon, I find that the foul smell coming near my flat was because of a dead dog threw near some bush on the ground beside my building.

The next morning I went to the corporation office(Safai Vibhag) in my area(walking distance) to note a complaint and ask them to take care of the matter. Not because the smell was unbearable but because the body was decaying. It had been more than 3 days that it was dead. The safai karmachari present in the office (who was drunk) asked me to write down my complaint on a plain page in Gujarati. This happened around 10:10 am. He told me he would come right away and take the body. Assured of government office’s support and feeling ‘ wow it was so easy’, I returned home.

Around 10:50 the same safai karmachari with other with his colleague is at my door saying they can’t find the body. I went down and showed them the body hid by the small bush. They agreed it was in bad condition and said ‘Isko toh dur phekne jana padega. Time lagega aur kharcha pani bhi’. I asked why kharcha pani. To which he said , at 10:55, that their duty time is only till 11 am. I refused to pay or provide any chai paani and asked them to inform it to corporation people who they said would come around 2 pm. They again followed me to my flat and asked if I give kharcha pani they will do it right away. I refused. No person turned up even after 2PM.

The next day, 3rd December afternoon, I was furious so I went on the online portal of VMSS to register my complaint. Till date, it isn’t even forwarded to the respective department. Well, I thought due to Sunday I should wait. Monday morning the status of my complaint was same. And that dead body was decaying very badly. I decided to visit safai karmachari office again with the same rigidness of not paying or providing anything extra. This time I met some authority who took my point seriously and sent that same man (who was drunk again) to go and collect the body right away (this happened on the morning of 5th Dec around 10:30).

I came back to the apartment but no one turned up. I again walked to the office, the sir was about to leave but he said don’t worry even if it 11, they will complete this work before leaving and instructed the same to that man. Around 11:15 that two men again turned up at my door saying they have done the work ‘Ab toh kharcha pani de do’. I replied strictly ‘ Sir se baat hui hai. Unse hi maang na’. The cynic in me dragged me down to check if they had actually done the work. Yes, they had. So basically the point is it takes 2 weeks for a dead animal to be buried or disposed of (as they say). It lies in open, decays, the whole environment becomes unhygienic and dangerous due to various insects it attracts. And by the way, the complaint to VMSS is still stuck. No response. Wish there were some politician visiting the city in these days, maybe then their portal would have been active.

My heart cries seeing humanity waning in the society this way. When some citizen tries take initiative and reach out the government for help (it is their task) their lethargy and mismanagement ruin your patriotism. Out of my daily schedule, I have to run here and there just because I don’t want to give Rs 50-100 as a bribe. Stupid? Maybe. Tiresome but I would sleep happy. But yes I am furious and sad about how things are operating. Insaan ya jaanvar ko shanti se marne bhi nai dege.

– Submitted By: Risha Trivedi