Residents Grab Extra Pieces of Land

Internal Colony Roadsides Converted To Mini Gardens

As we drive along the colony roads my eye goes towards some nicely maintained green mini gardens. On parking the car near a park boundary we realize that some residents of the colonies are using the land outside their boundary to create a mini garden.  Putting this issue at the back of mind we proceed towards the meeting. Now, the first grievance I hear is that people are encroaching the colony roads by making gardens or fencing the area outside their boundary!! This practice is very prevalent in the area and every lane has a mini garden or two on the road itself created by some resident. This results in narrowing the already narrow internal road of the colony.

Now why does one have to grab that extra piece of land ? Can the garden not be made inside the boundary of the house. The internal roads of the colony are for the use of all the colony members. How can anybody fence the area outside the house and use it as his own?  And we talk of ending corruption? So how will we end corruption in our country ! We ourselves are corrupt !! We grab the extra land outside our house, we use the booster pump directly on the main pipe and steal water, we mindlessly throw garbage around the colony, we steal the extra electricity by hooking the lines and so on and so forth. We turn a blind eye to the other members of the colony who try to protest to such unethical and illegal work. Now corruption is corruption, whichever be the level of perpetration.

We say that a dishonest behavior by those in positions of power, such as managers or government officials is corruption. And then what about our behaviours which blatantly defy the law? Why do we have to build that garden outside our boundary? Why do we encroach the back lanes? Not everybody does it , but a few people do !! Are these the ones who sow the seed of corruption in the mind of their young children? Is this the example we set in front of our children? Be corrupt !!! that’s the way of life !!!

We point a finger to the corrupt politician, the corrupt Government official and now even large private companies accept bribes to give out contracts. But we ourselves jump the queue, try to give the bribe to get our work done, encroach public land with impunity and then cry that there is corruption all around.


So friends, lets try to mend our ways first and try not to grab that extra piece of land!! Maybe that will be a beginning of corruption free India.