CHENNAI: Corporation of Chennai, it would appear, has not heard of corruption. 'Nil' was the reply from most departments of the civic body when Vinod Ranganathan of OnlineRTI.com filed an RTI application about action taken against civic staff for graft.

In response to Ranganathan's questions, key wings of the corporation including its buildings, bridges, bus route road and general departments admitted that they have neither conducted any probe nor taken any action against corrupt staff since 2007.

In its RTI reply, the corporation's district family welfare bureau said three employees - one each in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11 - faced departmental inquiries. Of them, the civic body reinstated one and cases against the two others are pending. The corporation's legal cell registered one case against an employee in 2008-09. Most zonal offices said they've not taken any action against graft.

The corporation's solid waste management department said police arrested one employee in 2009-10 and one departmental inquiry is "under process of approval".

It beggars belief that corporation officials can claim citizens don't have to make under-the-table payments for municipal services. From getting a birth certificate to cremating a body at the corporation's burial ground, people in the city have to grease palms to get things done. According to anti-corruption website (http://www.ipaidabribe.com) of Janaagraha, a Bengaluru-based NGO, people in Chennai pay most bribes for civic services. "It is an open secret that virtually nothing works in the city without paying bribes," said Ranganathan, whose RTI queries the corporation forwarded to its departments and zonal offices. "It is shocking that the corporation has not taken any action against corrupt employees in recent years."

The corporation's vigilance department is short-staffed and political interference undermines its authority. Vigilance officials say they take action based on the mayor and commissioner's instructions. But they say people do not come forward to register complaints against corrupt corporation employees. The department has one deputy superintendent of police and two inspectors against a required strength of 39. It has not been able to lay traps and nab corrupt officials. When it does take action, insiders say, it is only against low-level officials. In 2014, the corporation council meet passed a resolution to appoint one superintendent of police, three DSPs, five inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors and 20 head constables. The proposal remains on paper.

The civic body has not put up its complaint number in any of its offices so citizens can report corruption. Activists say a government-appointed ombudsman to tackle corruption in local bodies is ineffective. Activist Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of the NGO Arappor Iyakkam , said politicians and bureaucrats turn a blind eye to graft.