Bribes from the bottom

I RECENTLY had a troubling experience at an institution that operates at the grass-roots level, highlighting that the menace of corruption is not anymore the exclusive domain of the elite. I visited the office of the Town Municipal Corporation, Jinnah, (TMC Jinnah) near the Quaid’s mausoleum. I went there to enquire about the procedure for correcting my name on the property tax challan. After being directed from one desk to another, an officer questioned me harshly about documents’ copies even though I had clearly stated that this visit was only to understand the process. I was then asked to speak to another staff member outside the hall, who informed me that the ‘charges’ for updating the records would be Rs50,000 per case. When I asked why at all any payment was needed for a routine correction fully supported by complete documentation, I was told that nothing could be processed without such ‘payments’. Apart from the elite-led capture and corruption at top level that has plagued the country, we must realise that this malaise has eaten up the whole social fabric right from the very top to the very bottom. Is there anyone in tehcountry who can ensure that citizens have their records corrected through proper legal procedures in a seamless manner without being at all compelled to pay unlawful charges?
My documents are in order, and I have never paid a bribe to any official in my life. I just want to maintain my clean record.
MOHAMMAD FAYYAZ KIRMANI
KARACHI