Corpn officials sought Rs 25K bribe for water connection: Govt official

Coimbatore: A government official in the rank of deputy collector has accused city corporation officials of demanding Rs 25,000 from him as bribe to provide water connection to his new house.
M Supiramaniyan, who is working as an accounts officer cum lecturer at the Civil Service Training Institute (CSTI) in Bhavanisagar, Erode district, on Tuesday petitioned district collector K Rajamani seeking action against the officials concerned.
“I have been struggling to get household water connection for the past three years. Every time I visit the corporation office at east zone requesting them to provide water connection, they ask for Rs 25,000 in addition to the deposit amount. As I refuse to pay the bribe, they are not giving the connection to my house located at Anbu Nagar in Vilankurichi,” Supiramaniyan said.
Supiramaniyan had constructed a multi-storied building at Vilankurichi and three families are residing in the building. He said he had submitted applications seeking the corporation to provide two household water connections over three years ago as multiple families are residing in. He had paid Rs 15,000 as deposit for each connection.
“When I visited the corporation office almost a year after I paid deposit amount for the connections, the officials told me that they had missed my application forms and asked me to submit a new one. So, I submitted another application and the demand for additional money had started since then,” he said.
Several applicants, who had submitted applications after me, had got the connection but I could not, he said.
Supiramaniyan said he had even threatened to lodge complaints against the officials for demanding bribe but of no avail. About a year ago, Supiramaniyan had filed a complaint with both the district collector and corporation commissioner. But his complaints went unheard.
About six months ago, after threatening to lodge a police complaint against the then assistant commissioner of east zone, they provided one water connection. But, we received no receipts or bill book, he said. Until then, the families were collecting water from a public tap and neighbours.
“If the corporation doesn’t provide water connection even to a government servant without getting bribe, then what would be the state of common people,” he questioned.
Collector Rajamani had forwarded Supiramaniyan’s petition to the corporation.
When contacted, a senior corporation official said the issue was not brought to his knowledge and would take action if the allegations were proven. In the last six months, the corporation had withheld providing household water connections due to multiple reasons including water shortage.