DC nabs touts during surprise visit to revenue office

The deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district nabbed two touts during a surprise visit to the Rajajinagar Tahsildar’s office on Wednesday.

Following a series of complaints from the public against touts at revenue offices across the city, Deputy Commissioner Vijay Shankar deployed village accountants as decoys and instructed them to submit a report after conducting a thorough check.

Based on the report, the deputy commissioner visited the Rajajinagar office and nabbed Hanumanthappa (57), a tout from Prakash Nagar, and H K Rajanna (49),
from Annapoorneshwari Nagar.

The duo was handed over to the Rajajinagar police.

Vijay Shankar also suspended two computer operators for entertaining the touts.

The tahsildar was also pulled up for not taking action despite middlemen thriving on his office premises.

Several people visited the Tahsildar’s office on Wednesday and complained that the officials demanded a bribe to complete any work.

Several people said that the staff demanded bribes ranging from Rs 2,000 to 5,000 to issue a caste certificate and delayed the process if the bribe was not paid.

However, the certificates would be issued within hours if the person came through a middleman, a visitor told the commissioner.

Vijay Shankar warned the Tahsildar that disciplinary action would be initiated if he continues to entertain middlemen in his office.

The surprise inspection will continue and we will ensure that people visiting offices are able to get their work done without any hassles, Vijay Bhaskar told reporters.