Bribing itself is not easy. It's too painful. One has to go through this suffering to understand this. Let me share some details around how the DTCP process works. This may hopefully help many who seem to have no idea of how these corruption networks work.
If @TVKVijayHQ wanted to make money, it was too easy for him to redirect the money flow towards his own people now. Instead, he chose to openly fight this out. I, one of the victims, have a sole responsibility to support this by coming out with the details. I really hope he is successful in this mission.
Many schools still run without full DTCP approval/compliance. The more they are not compliant, the more money can be extracted on continuous basis. No incentive for schools to come out and be compliant. Instead, the opposite is true.
In our school, we had a goal of making it 100% compliant in all aspects and started the DTCP approval process. I was given the responsibility to take care of the process.
I've interviewed 4 agents/middlemen over 6 months to decide who we go with. We've gotten offers from 80 Rs to 110 Rs per sqft. Most often it falls in the higher end of this spectrum based on experiences I gathered from experienced folks who have gone through this process.
Price alone is not sufficient to pick the agent. We need to evaluate the agent's reach to power, his experience in handling previous schools, etc. Finally, picked one to pay 65L total.
Building approval is finally given by the local rural/town authority. But the process is longer. The application has to go through the approval process first to the district office.
If the built-up area is larger, then the application is forwarded to the Chennai head office for technical concurrence. This is where the famous PF is collected.
I am still puzzled why a Chennai office is more qualified than a district office to verify the so-called technical details. Can't a district-level officer verify as per the norms? I know this is a novice question, as we know why things are structured this way.
We give bribe payment first—only way to make progress in this long application process. Paid full (total of 65L) and the application is stuck for months in the Chennai office. Can't rely on the agent for everything, as the stake is too high for me. Money was given, no response from gov, I need to answer other trustees.
After several months of waiting, I had to travel to Chennai and stayed in a hotel for a few days to get an appointment with the Chennai head.
I usually wear a dhoti. This makes it even more easy to ill-treat. Anyways, I waited patiently as I lost sleep for many days due to this.
Finally, about 2 minutes time to meet the GOD. I've begged explaining the financial state of the school, etc. Only one question was asked: "Was formality of #name# completed?" I said Yes. He asked me to leave after making a note.
This is how blatant the corruption network was. Officers behaved like gods as their political managers sought help from them to trace if money was properly paid for each application.
It was a hopeless time. I was fed up and never voted this time. Never imagined Tamilnadu people had a silent revolution in ballot boxes this time. hats off to them.
What I learned in the process is - money can travel alone to chennai for a fee - 3% through local agents deployed for this. This way, we avoid of the risk of carrying cash. 😢
As a keen political observer, I thought 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 were decent periods on corruption. After that, hell broke I guess. It was a non-stop nightmare until Mr. Vijay struck down this trend. Somehow I feel very positive that 2026-2036 will be great for TN and has a potential of truly a model state for India. I beg Mr. Vijay not giving up this "corruption free state of TN" mission easily.
@imrajmohan@svembu@sekar_vembu If this process is decentralized/localized, the cost of this bribe may be very less even if we can't eradicate the corruption totally.
We used to hear 30 years ago about money being swindled by showing bridges and roads that were never built in Bihar. Never thought I'd see that in 2026 in Tamil Nadu.
This cannot be done by one man. There must have been collusion at multiple levels. Let us see if the law will catch up with them.
Leading a CBSE school for close to 10 years has shown me just how painful it can be to deal with the government machinery.
There are days when you come very close to giving up; not because running a school is difficult, but because you're exhausted from constantly having to give. Even greed should have a ceiling. There has to be a point where they should just live & let live.
Every approval (fire, safety, kitchen, hostel, or any other clearance) seems to come with an expectation of money. Every government meeting happening in the proximity of our school, we are not requested but demanded to provide money, school vans, staff, and other resources.
An example: the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022. We were instructed to provide a couple of our school vans for advertisement. Huge posters featuring our Chief Minister and the Chess Olympiad branding were put up on our SCHOOL vehicles. A month after the event, when we requested that they be removed, we were told either to leave them as they were or remove them at our own expense (which was not cheap).
What disturbed me even more was hearing government officials openly say that corruption has always existed in TN, but under the current government, they no longer have to hide it or fear getting caught. Those words came from their own mouths.
I'm neither for nor against any political party. But when you endure one blow after another for years, it's only natural to feel relieved, and even celebrate, when the wind changes direction & you finally sense the possibility of a fresh breeze.
The DMK ecosystem is attacking me that the school issue I reported was a lie I concocted to help the TVK government. Let me state the facts.
We run two rural schools, both free NIOS schools under the Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam umbrella, one in rural Tenkasi and the other in rural Theni.
The Theni school was originally started and run by a retired IPS officer, a honest and upright man. He built very nice facilities but had to shut down his CBSE school because the state government demanded too much money to issue the NOC. He told me that as a honest retired officer he did not have the money to pay and they would not issue the NOC otherwise.
He urged us to take over his trust so we could run our free NIOS school in the premises. That is how we started our NIOS school in Theni.
Unlike in Tenkasi, where I live, the Theni school faced occasional harassment from the DMK government because we did not have a state government registration, so we tried getting state government approval again (this time for the state board) and that of course would also cost money. So it was in a limbo.
Meanwhile in Tenkasi we wanted to build new school facilities (we were operating in make-shift facilities, the ones that came in frequent photos) and we applied for DTCP approval to construct the new buildings. Everyone who knows DTCP in our state knows what kind of corruption happened there under the DMK.
We waited patiently for DTCP approval for the new school buildings but the approval never came as long as the DMK was in power. The approval came automatically once the government changed.
It is this DTCP approval that I posted about in X. I want to once again appreciate the refreshing change.
Not only did the approvals come, government people told us not to pay money to anyone for any approvals. I have to appreciate this in public, having endured what we had endured before.
This is the "lie" that DMK wants to attack me on.
I do not need their certificate on my character.
They can examine their conscience and ask why a technology nerd like me who is mostly immersed in code would post these.
If they think I would back down by their vile personal attacks because I am a Brahmin or TVK Stooge or Sanghi or whatever, I will tell them this: unlike you dynasts I grew up with nothing. I studied in Tamil medium schools. I know how to live on nothing. I have dedicated the remainder of my life to make Bharat self reliant in technology while reviving our rural areas, the soul of our eternal sanatana civilization.
I will not be intimidated by their attacks. I am unafraid of death, why would I be afraid of the mere DMK?
And if they had any conscience they can return the money they looted (they know there they keep it) and then they can attack my character.
I will now go back to optimizing the code of our compiler!
நாங்க எல்லாம் நியூஸ் சேனல்ல கிரிக்கெட் நியூஸ் மட்டும் பார்த்திட்டு இருந்த எங்கள.. இப்போ டிவிய பார்த்தா நியூஸ் ஆ தவிர எதும் பாக்க தோணல எங்க கொண்டு வந்து இருக்க பாரு அண்ணா 😅❤️
@TVKVijayHQ@CMOTamilnadu#தமிழகவெற்றிக்கழகம்