Bangalore's Official Thieves

Bangalore came into national prominence as a city in the 1990s with the advent of Indian software industry. Foreigners planning to start their offshore operations in India found the most ideal location in this South Indian city, mainly thanks to its weather which was much milder than the harsher variety commonly seen across the country. Soon, this place known as Pensioners' Paradise was renamed as the Silicon Valley of India.

While Bangalore has grown as a city, it has also given rise to the negative elements of society. The Indian underworld has spread its wings in the city, with supari killings happening more frequently. The law and order situation in the city isn't what it was a decade ago, with authorities struggling to cope with the growth of the city. Bangalore has to be one of the most unsafe city in the country, especially for women, with people managing to stage robberies in broad daylight. This number just gets almost tenfold once night falls over the city. Large number of BPO and software workers, who work late into the night, are constant prey to these elements, often ending up losing precious gadgets bought with their hard-earned money. As if these problems weren't enough, we have official thieves too in this midst.

One of the main reason prompting me to write this was what happened today at my apartment. It seems an official came from BESCOM, Bangalore's electricity board, and happily went away with our fuse. While we were wondering that the electricity supply for the entire apartment complex had gone off, it came as a shock to us to hear TV sets blaring from all around us. It was then that this came to light. This is despite us paying all our bills in time. It was then that I came to know from a neighbour of ours that this is a common practice by these officials, wherein they take away your fuse and when you go there to inquire about it, they charge you some money to get the fuse back which was rightfully yours in the first place. Thievery of the highest order, one must say.

Another of the leading official thieves are the "overworked" police force. Under the pretext of excessive work, they charge you for filing a case. It is one thing to pay a tip for a service, it is totally different to forcefully take it from you, especially when you are dependent on them. Whether it be filing a case for you or verifying your whereabouts for a passport/visa check, these policemen are masters in siffoning off one's money.

BWSSB isn't any bit behind when it comes to official thievery. Our apartment was supposed to have received Cauvery water connection, but BWSSB officials deem that all the people who stay in apartments are pretty rich and can afford to buy water from tankers. What they conveniently forget is that while we work hard to earn our money, they earn theirs through no work. Whatever they earn is because of us, who work hard and pay the taxes in time.

There is a general perception in Bangalore that non-Kannadigas are dominating Bangalore more and more. While this might be true, one should understand that if you are aspiring to be a global city, you cannot have a tunnel vision. You have to grow beyond regional or linguistic boundaries. Bangalore is one place where you will have to be seen as a global citizen. We will need the officials who aspire to oversee the city's civic bodies also mature enough to understand all of this. We also need a display of greater responsibility from all these officials. Until that happens, Bangalore's ascend in the global arena would be short-lived. Thievery in any form is a serious crime, but its magnitude increases when the officials expected to put an end to it become the leading thieves. Let us get them all in a jail. Is anyone listening?