Village offices in Kerala – Corruption, fraud and cheating
April 19th, 2008
Village offices in Kerala are well known for corruption. A number of certificates are issued from village offices (income certificate, nativity certificate etc.) and invariably bribe is required to get them. Some may argue that you can still get the certificates without bribe, but that will require 3 or more village office visits!
Historically village officers had limited power. For most of the services we had to go to the taluk office. But recently village officers were given more power and that lead to a surge in corruption, fraud and cheating.
Another problem is that retired village officials (who has no official power) roam inside the village offices as if they are the boss. They are part of the fraud gangs and in turn alter the records kept at the office.
The cheating and fraud reached such a stage that massive alterations in village office records were found. Using the altered records, the land was registered to another person without the knowledge of the original owner. As the land prices soared this turned out to be a profitable business with minimal risk. All you need is a set of goondas with you!
The exact modus operandi of this mafia is this,
1. Find a out a good piece of vacant land which can fetch you good money. Ask the owner if he wants to sell the land. If no look for another land.
2. Give a very good offer to the owner. Ask him for photo stats of land documents. This will give you complete details about the land.
3. Now get out of the deal. Bribe the village officials to get the village record altered. You will have to bribe guys in registrar office also.
4. Register the land in the name of someone you know. Then after a month sell the land to a third party.
5. By the time the original owner knows about the fraud, the land would have changed many hands!
The government officials who participated in this fraud are completely safe. The real fight happens between the original owner and the latest guy who got it registered. Legally the latest guy has no rights over the land.
There is little that common man can do to protect his land. But still some of the following steps can be useful to protect your land,
1. Pay yearly tax on time. This is important since majority of land chosen for fraud are those for which has tax payment defaults.
2. Ask the neighbours near your land to report any suspicious activity such as land inspection by third parties.
3. If you are an NRI, get someone whom you can trust to take care of your land. You need to visit your land area at least once in a month.
Politicians are behind the large scale land frauds which involves government land. In Malayalam there is a saying – "Veli thanne vilavu thinnuka".
Now government is bringing a lot of new laws and rules to prevent land fraud. As you can guess, more laws mean more bribe and more corruption. One of the provisions planned is that for land transaction,you need to get permission from the local politician!!!
I think now even God cannot save Malayalees…..
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November 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
The Village Officers have become a menace, and it is virtually impossible to get things done through the village offices any more. I had a bad experience with our Village Officer in Kerala in 2003, and I wrote a letter to the then CM of Kerala, however, no action was taken by the authorities. A copy of my said letter is as below:
To Honorable Chief Minister,
Kerala State, India.
Sir, The Lady Village Officer at [village], Pathanamthitta Dist., Kerala, has a penchant for cash. This was clearly visible at that office when I visited them in August, 2003, to pay Tax arrears (karam) on some of my properties at [village], and when my mother visited that office during the last week of September, 2003, to have my newly purchased property to be made in my name and to pay the tax.
The village officer preaches that she is a very upright officer in front of everybody, but behind the door, on an individual basis, she collects huge sums as bribe in the name of Onam celebration, Independent Day Celebration etc. She cheated money out me and my mother. We are not the only victims. Her victims are especially the poor people. She will demand documents of trivial nature to harass the people, making them go round and round, for several days, and finally end up paying the demanded money to her to get things done.
I am not writing this to vent my anger over the ordeal she made me go through or that of my mother’s bad experience as stated above, but the authorities must know the goings on in these village offices.
The notoriety of the said Village Officer is well known in the circles at [village], but no one seems to talk about it, but instead undergo the harassment meted out to them in patience. There must be an end to it. I would have done something about it when I visited Kerala in August, 2003, as I said, however, I did not have the time to take this lady to tasks. On my next visit to India, and should I have a requirement at Village Office, and if I find this lady gracing the occasion asking me money, then I will give her the run for her money, and that is a promise, your Hon. Chief Minister.
How could an alien Village Officer posted at my very native town, [village], dare play games with me and the people in the neighborhood, especially the poor who are short on cash?
Now the ball is in Government of Kerala’s court. Best regards – PRATHAPAN GOPALAN, PATHANAMTHITTA DIST., KERALA, INDIA.