MUMBAI: When comedian Kapil Sharma backed his complaint of corruption in the BMC with the heft of his fame and popularity -he has 6.2 million Twitter followers -even the chief minister responded. But for the harried Mumbaikar , dealing with the civic bureaucracy can be a hair-tearing experience. Graft is all pervasive, and the common man has no recourse when faced with unreasonable demands from corrupt officials.For years, the BMC's building and factory department has been considered the most notorious. Its officials are supposed to detect and act against illegal construction in their respective jurisdiction. Another infamous section is the building proposal department, which sanctions building plans.Last April, BJP MLA Ameet Satam alleged a Rs 50,000-crore scam in these two civic departments. He spoke on the floor of the Assembly and furnished a list of 35 “corrupt“ officials and 42 building files and demanded an inquiry . He said most of these illegal cases occurred in the two suburban wards of Bandra and Andheri. It's been months, and the civic administration says it instituted a committee to probe these charges.If there is a proliferation of unauthorized construction in the city , the buck stops at the building and factory department. Sharma's outburst seems aimed at it too. A senior civic official, not willing to be identified, told TOI that in most cases, the modus operandi is simple: slap a demolition notice on violators and negotiate a bribe to either turn a blind eye or give them time to approach the courts and get a stay against the demolition. “ A 354A (section of Mumbai municipal corporation Act) notice means the civic squad must take action within 48 hours. However, this seldom happens as in the case of Sharma. He was issued a notice on July 16, but the demolition occurred only on August 4. The question is why this long delay?'' said the official.Bandra civic activist Neil Pereira alleged that the maximum corruption in the BMC is in the building and factory department. “In Pali village, 15 to 20 structures are illegal. Owners seek repair permissions from the BMC, and go on to construct entire buildings,“ he sa id. Pereira had complained against one in 1993. “Officials fabricated drawings of the structure and misled the court.Some of them made crores,“ he alleged. Malad resident said she once wrote a complaint to the P-South ward office in August 2015, regarding heavy seepage from the flat above. “Officials from that department came for inspection. On October 29, 2015, they issued him a notice under section 381, giving him 30 days to repair the seepage or face prosecution.'' She added: “Till date, there has been no action.“