Brokers seem to be the bane in many government offices. Public institutions, be it a railway reservation counter or office of the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) or the revenue wing in the Collectorate, there are brokers who do the job ‘silently’ and ‘unnoticed,’ but all for a price.
To get a railway ticket at the eleventh hour may not be easy for commoners, especially during long holidays for educational institutions. But it is not so for the agents. Touts get the ‘job’ done easily. Middle-level executives working in big pharmaceutical companies say they never buy train ticket at the counters.
“I call my ‘contact’ and tell him about my travel plan. I just give the photocopy of my identity card. And my tickets will be ready soon. For the service, I pay 15 per cent extra,” says Prashant, an officer working for a pharmaceutical firm in Coimbatore who visits Madurai frequently to meet his doctor-clients.
Brokers make good money on a daily basis with ‘contacts’ in the government offices and keep their customers happy. They wait for their ‘clients’ at the Corporation office, Collectorate and Registration Department, among others.
According to Corporation Commissioner, R. Nanthagopal, about 200 persons visit Anna Maaligai, the Corporation office, to obtain birth and death certificates every day. Though people can apply online for getting the certificate, not many applicants are familiar with the simple procedure. About 25 percentage of the 200 applications given at the office are incomplete, he says. Utilising the applicants’ ignorance, touts offer help and take control of the process and make quick money. But the Corporation discourages middlemen, the Commissioner says and appeals to the public not to approach strangers for getting things done.
If there is one place where brokers rule the roost, it must be the Transport Department, public say. Many staff at the office who issue driving licence, registration certificate, fitness certificate and permits act swiftly only when ‘familiar’ faces submitted the applications. The general public are usually discouraged by the staff who direct them to approach brokers, says V. Sekar who works for an automobile dealer in the city. “Every time I go to the RTO office for registration of vehicles, I have to give a ‘cut’ to the staff to get my clients’ work done the same day. “While some of my clients refuse to give money for “RTO expenses,” those who do not have identity proof or other documents do not mind giving extra money for getting the job done,” he says.
The situation is no different in Government Rajaji Hospital where the nexus between brokers and some doctors is well-oiled. Inpatients dissatisfied with the medical treatment are identified by the brokers who take them into getting ‘shifted’ to private hospitals for better treatment.
Brokers get paid for their service by the doctors for every such discharge, an officer at the hospital police station says.
In the case of Regional Passport Office, though awareness programmes are conducted to sensitise public on the risks of approaching touts for getting their jobs done, illiterate applicants fall prey to middlemen, say sources. Not all applicants bring the required documents such as birth certificate and identity proof, and land in the hands of touts loitering near the Passport Seva Kendra, say sources. When applicants are in urgent need of passport and do not have the right documents, they approach the broker who get the job done for a hefty ‘service charge.’
