When I came to semi-settle in Goa 16+ years ago, I encountered the nightmare of the bureaucracy. From obtaining a drivers license to buying a vehicle, to buying property and the mutation process (which I thought was a scientific term), I went through endless visits to various Government offices. I will spare readers the details as the narrative would be endless. I asked a friend how people in Goa deal with this ? The answer was simple - bribes. Since I am retired I did not have to ask for leave from my workplace, but working folks cannot take leave endlessly to attend to simple mundane tasks, so bribery is the norm.. I am told that bureaucrats have made an art of this. Unless one greases some palms, they find ways to harass you and keep you waiting until you offer them something. Giving bribes is alien to me, so I endured the harassment and in some cases gave up entirely. Dealing with a nationalized bank, I deposited a dollar cheque for a substantial amount. The cheque was debited/charged to the drawers account abroad within 6 days, but it took over 3 months for the rupee equivalent to be credited to my account here in Goa.I made countless visits to my bank here in Goa, wrote to the Banks HQ, wrote to the ombudsman of the Reserve Bank of India etc.All the ombudsman of the Reserve Bank did was to forward my complaint to the Bank, asking them to resolve the matter.Finally, after 3 months I got a letter from the Bank's HQ saying that they had investigated the matter, and apologized to me, sayingthat the delay was caused "by unavoidable technical delays" . To placate me the Bank deposited the princely sum of Rs. 100/- in my account for lost interest !!!. I can go on endlessly about my various experiences. I have never given a single paisa in bribes, and suffered the consequences.Thankfully, I don't have to deal with Government offices too much, and have found other legal ways of transferring money from abroad such as MoneyGram transfer by the senders.. I usually refrain from airing such complaints on Goanet because inevitably, either publicly or through private E-Mails, I will get somespiteful remarks from obviously jealous folks. The posting on Goanet touched a raw nerve, so I have thrown caution to the winds.
