ACB books Ponda Sub Registrar clerk for bribery

TEAM HERALD 

PONDA: The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Vigilance Department has registered an offence against Bhupal N Gaonkar, LDC at Office of Civil cum Sub Registrar, Ponda, for allegedly charging Rs 1500 for change of name when the government prescribed rate is Rs 100, officials said.

Officials stated that Gaonkar cheated one Vitti Karmankar from Shiroda, Ponda, who had approached him on September 24, for change of name by charging her Rs 1,500 and issuing a receipt of the said amount, instead of charging her the prescribed fee of Rs 100 for change of name.

The offence was registered under section 409, 420 IPC and Sec 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (c) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, on a complaint filed by Hanumant Dessai, Civil cum Sub Registrar, Ponda.

This incident follows another bribery case which occurred a few days ago at the Mapusa RTO, wherein a staffer was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe.

Addressing a news conference, Prakash Dande and Yuvraj Naik from Chorao had accused an employee of corruption at the civil registrar cum sub registrar office in Ponda.

“The staff employee at this office charged us Rs 1,500 for a ‘change of name’ service, while the government charges only Rs 100 for the same service,” Naik said.

The two youth told media that one of their relatives at Shiroda had applied for a ‘change of name’ service at the Ponda office. The two youth went to make the payment on Wednesday, when a staff employee charged them Rs 1,500 as government fees and also gave them a receipt for Rs 1,500.

“A relative at Dharbandora then told us that he had paid only Rs 125 for a similar service at the Dharbandora Sub Registrar,” Naik claimed.

They then contacted the Directorate of Registrar at Panjim and were informed that the government charges only Rs 100 for a change of name.

When the media, along with the two complainants, went to verify the details with the Sub Registrar’s office in Ponda, they found out that the counterfoil for the government record had showed Rs 100, while the receipt issued to the applicant had Rs 1,500 written on it. Gaonkar had denied allegations at that time.