What does it take to get work done in a Sarkari office? My experience

For a recent travel, I had to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) in India. Looking up online and by advise from friends, I was told that the process had been simplified and that it could be done directly at the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Avoiding middlemen in Indian government offices is a tricky thing and it could backfire at times, wherein you could be made to repay with your dear time.

I had a full day at hand during my vacation and I was prepared to try this out. Armed with the set of documents and proofs, I arrived at the Madurai RTO office. In no time, I was approached by a couple of middlemen who offered to be of service. In this instance they weren’t to be blamed, for I stood there for a minute completely clueless, not very different from the expression of a child momentarily lost in a crowded railway station.

Gathering my senses, I checked what the deal was to get the IDP done. Above the legal fee of INR 1500, they quoted a commission of upto INR 3000 to get the job done — a hefty 200% charge on top of the fee! Politely declining, I moved on to enquire the official point of contact.

A process simplified

Directed to the EA-to-RTO (Exec assistant to RT Officer), I presented the documents and he duly verified all details without much delay. After clearing the application, he directed me to the RTO to get the final signature. Stepping into the officer’s cabin who heads the entire region, I was surprised with the professionalism and speed of clearance, wherein he personally verified all the documents again and gave the final approval.

With the entire process done in under 60 minutes, I was asked to deposit the fee and collect the document. The fee payment took another 60 minutes in the queue, but here I was, done with the entire process within a few hours, something which used to be a nightmare earlier, as I heard. Pleasantly surprised, I realized that there was some truth in the talk about cutting down bureaucracy and simplifying procedures in government offices.

But, looks like I was happy a wee bit sooner. In my naivety, I had bypassed an important person in the office, whose blessings are mandatory to get any work fully done.

The all-powerful Clerk

I found out that the office clerk is the person who oils the people machinery, connects departments to move the papers, and is the symbolic final authority for all official matters in the government offices.

This didn’t dawn on me until I was asked to collect the final document from the clerk, after a couple of hours. When I returned, he took no qualms in showing his displeasure on not being consulted in the process, and directly questioned how I could get the work done directly, without taking his blessings. He tried shooting down the sanity of the application, by finding fault with the details and the way it was filled, while it was cleared by his superiors.

All the while, the intent seemed to be to try and make one yield, so that it could be converted into commercial gains. When all details were provided and nothing could be done about it, he tried to make the handover inconvenient by introducing artificial delays in getting the signed document. The endeavor again seemed to be to push one to the limits, take control of the situation and bring out the golden question ‘What does it take to get the job done?’

I was asked to wait in an isolated area, while he openly chatted up with friends for an extended period. With the processing already done and the office about to close for the day, he tried to hold the document to ransom. A little flustered and willing to take this up to the next level if required, I walked up to his desk and stood right by the side appearing to wait.

With some time passing by, and when he couldn’t avoid the stern glances any further, he finally took the document that was lying ready by his side and handed it over to me.

What ails services at Government offices

The government has begun the good job of cutting red-tape and easing processes, which is certainly evident and getting favourable reviews. The senior officials seem to be pushing for the changes and are setting the right example, as I’ve seen in a few interactions across different departments.

But a bigger challenge, and an even more critical change to be done is with the mindset of next-level employees in government offices. The change needed is in setting the right objectives to ease handovers, making them accountable and answerable to the public. Hope this mindset change comes through sooner as well.