A call at my cell phone woke me up this morning. It was a call from a clerk in local MEPCO or 'Multan Electric Power Company' office. He's the guy who's been dealing with our applications for electrification of four tube wells at our farm, that I submitted over a year ago. Today he told me that hardware or 'material' , as he refereed to it, of my tube well electrification had finally arrived and I should meet this LS or 'Line Superintendent' in their office to get it released.
I told my father, as he has been pursuing this matter. We went to the office together to meet the clerk and inquired about the process forward. He started narrating a process which could easily take another 3 or more months till I could get my tube wells running, bearing in mind that we have a shortage of irrigation water in Pakistan. And I knew well that he was just making all this up. I got a bit irritated and wanted to go to his higher officer, but my father, with a nod of head, asked my to stay calm.
He (dad) then asked him if there was a shorter way to do it. And of course there was. He said that he would have to 'bend his principles' and would have to 'go out of the way' and 'off the book' to help us and it would cost us. Of course it would. Now I feel very awkward at such situations, though misfit for society.
Anyways, we paid him an X amount of bribe, unfortunately, to get a legitimate and legal work done and he accepted it without even a shadow of shame. He then offered us tea while paper work was being done, that we refused.
After exactly 15 minutes of asking for a bribe, and some 7 minutes of accepting it, he started lecturing us on Islam and morality.
3 comments:
MEPCO...is it some government company..?
Well it is actually, but govt is trying to remodel it and trying to make it more of a modern corporate, hence the chnage in name.
Earlier electricity department was central and was called WAPDA (Water and power development authority), and it was the all in all department. The department is still there but is now only into production. New semi autonomous departments have been created for distribution now.
MEPCO is one of them.
Hahaha!! This is how it works..!
We are as much to blame as the corrupt clerk. Although too much is at stake for us common men, why can't we just stick to our principles and let the process take time..!
Yet, I'll do the same if I was in your place..! x_X
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