A new low or a positive sign? As bribery stories go, this one from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, would find even Transparency International hard put for words.Yesterday, the District Magistrate of Sitapur scribbled an urgent appeal to Executive Engineer (Distribution), Power Corporation, of the area asking him to do a ‘‘huge favour’’ and ensure that pending bills of two farmers were cleared ‘‘without taking bribes’’. ‘‘Kripya bina ghoos ke karwane ki mahti kripa karen (Please do a huge favour by getting the job done without taking bribe),’’ wrote DM Amod Kumar on a complaint letter brought before him by two farmers of the district. The appeal had the desired effect. Executive Engineer Ram Chandran not only ensured that the bills of the two farmers were deposited without hassle but also ordered an inquiry and removed two clerks who the farmers accused of demanding bribes to deposit their bills. ‘‘Both office assistants have been asked not to do any job till the inquiry against them is completed. I have asked two of our officers to probe the complaint and submit a report within three days so that appropriate action can be taken against them,’’ said Chandran. DM Kumar says his was a spontaneous reaction. ‘‘I wrote the note to the Executive Engineer after seeing the expression of fatigue on the faces of the two farmers. If it seems an admission that bribe is the in-thing in government functioning, I do not hesitate in accepting it. You cannot cure an illness unless you admit that you are afflicted with it,’’ the DM told The Indian Express. Rajendra Singh and Purshottam Singh had gone to the Power Corporation office in Sitapur on Tuesday morning and requested dealing clerks to settle their pending power dues after calculating the concession on the surcharge amount.
