BANGALORE: Bangaloreans who encounter instances of corruption hesitate to report them fearing backlash, reveal results of a survey conducted by a group of students from Mount Carmel College. The Sub-Registrar’s offices were voted to be the most corrupt. In a survey titled ‘Omnipresent Corruption’ conducted by a team of eight students, 26 per cent of people in the city chose ‘Reporting Only Creates Problems’ when they were asked whether they reported instances of corruption. “The public is afraid that once they step forward and raise their voice, they would never be able to complete the task in hand,” said Hemashree P, a final year B.Sc (Computers, Mathematics and Statistics) student, who was a part of the 8-member research team. The survey, conducted over a period of four months, interviewed 315 people. This was done to determine public perception towards corruption.For 37 per cent of Bangaloreans, the most common form of corruption is bribery. “To any layperson, the first thing that comes to the mind when they hear the term corruption is bribe. We can safely say that not a single day goes by without someone offering a bribe or asking for a bribe,” said Hemashree. The Sub-Registrar offices were rated as the most corrupt offices by 30 per cent of the respondents while the police came in at a close second. But the students said that in the case of the police, people offered bribes to escape penalties ensuring rampant corruption in this sector. “In most cases, people paid their way through bureaucracy and obtained what they want. Private offices and hospitals were voted as the least cases of corruption,” she said.When it came to the punishment of officials for corruption, the majority of the respondents preferred suspension and imprisonment of corrupt officials. This was closely followed by ‘It Depends on the Seriousness of the Corruption’. “Most respondents hoped that the officials were punished, little realising that they might be at fault too. However, many felt that punishment should depend on the seriousness of the situation,” said Zamruth Saliha K, another member of the research team.It was interesting to note that despite all the criticism on corruption, most respondents felt that change was imminent. When asked how the fight against corruption could be won, 200 out of the 315 people surveyed were optimistic that the battle could be won. “Across respondents from government, private and professional sectors, most feel that stringent action against corrupt officials is way forward to reduce or eradicate corruption,” said Hemashree.
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