No bribe' board by official goes viral

Coimbatore: Seeking to impart a new dimension to the anti-corruption drive in government administration, a woman village administrative officer (VAO) in Pollachi is now being celebrated in social media for her bold act of explicitly displaying a board at her office declaring, “I will not accept any bribe”.

This open declaration, the officer says, helps her to work peacefully by avoiding controversies over her policy decisions. R. Muthumari, 30, hailing from Madurai joined the revenue department as VAO in 2012, was some time back posed as Kaliapuram (North) VAO near Anaimalai village in Pollachi taluk of Coimbatore district.

However, her childhood resolve not to accept any bribe in the course of her official work, was not always easy to implement. Muthumarai faced road blocks, she confided. Eventually, it prompted the woman VAO to dare to display such a board prominently, right on top of her seat. The idea was to make people take notice of it and feel reassured that the administration is transparent and is for their welfare.  

Born in a farmer's family, Muthumarai was successful in entering the state government service after completing her degree. However, initially in office she found it hard to implement her policy against bribe-taking, she said.

Narrating her initial experiences, she said, “during my first two years in work, I did not think of displaying such a board against bribe-taking. But some of my colleagues and brokers misused my name for getting bribe. I also faced issues when some members of the public offered bribes directly at my table.”

Muthumari said recurrence of such incidents made her depressed and affected her regular work. She said, “I finally hit upon a solution to display the board at my office to instruct visitors not to offer any bribe.” The idea worked out well and I am working peacefully now without any disturbance. “I am following what I have openly professed for the past three years and it helps me to do my duty honestly,” she mused.

After working at Anaimalai and Kaliyapuram, she is now working at Thensangampalayam village in Pollachi taluk. Though Muthumarai gets complete support from her family members, her colleagues and higher officials put on a studied silence over her daring move.

“The officials in my department are not considering my act and they neither encourage nor discourage me. My act makes me to live what I am and the public are also happy with my service,” she added.