Bribery complaint embarrasses Nitish

Reproduced form : The Statesman

Manoj Chaurasia
PATNA, Jan. 21: People in Bihar are amused at the new-found concern of the government for them. Just about everyone in the state, right from the head of the government to the otherwise arrogant policeman, is asking them one question quite frequently these days ~ any problem, please? While the chief minister Mr Nitish Kumar is crisscrossing the lanes and by-lanes of far-off, dusty villages with a herd of officials in tow in the chilly winter promising to make quick redressal of villagers' problems, the cops are dutifully knocking at the doors of citizens in towns enquiring about their woes.
“Unprivileged” residents of Mishraulia ~ a small hamlet of Patilar village in West Champaran where the CM has set up camp since Monday ~ were quite amazed when Mr Kumar, with a group of ministerial colleagues and a crowd of officials, suddenly met them early yesterday morning. On getting news of the CM's arrival, poor villagers ran as fast as they could to air their long-pending grievances. The common complaint was that bribery was at its peak and officials were refusing to provide them benefits of any government schemes unless they got their cut money. The repeated complaints of bribery in government offices obviously embarrassed the CM who had gone to personally get a feedback from villagers about the “good governance”.
Some complained money as small as Rs 300 was being sought for septic tanks, others bemoaned how just one bag of cement was used to construct four latrines! Some narrated how an egg is being distributed among six children under mid-day meal schemes in schools. There were senior citizens who just wanted spectacles, treatment for their ailing family members and cycles for their school children. The CM did not let them down either. He directed the officials accompanying him to provide them then and there whatever they had desired and redress whatever grievances they may have had.