A citizen-created online portal in Tamil Nadu, “Makkal Saatchi” (Public Citizen), is collecting reports of alleged bribe demands for public services and prompting official scrutiny. The portal is run by a 32-year-old techie, S Deepak, who says he started the initiative after personal encounters with officials who allegedly demanded bribes. He built the website to compile complaints by department and location, creating a dashboard-style view of alleged corruption “hotspots.”
According to reports, the site has logged about 400 citizen reports and, collectively, claims total bribes of around ₹6 crore. Complaints range from small amounts (reported as low as ₹500) to much larger demands, including allegations involving land-related approvals, welfare services, police issues, public works, job recruitment, and administrative file movement. Many entries reportedly include details such as time of demand, place, names of public servants, and payment methods.
Officials and agencies have also reportedly taken note of the portal: at least one case involving a police official leads to internal investigation by a senior IPS officer. The outlets also note concerns about verifying information and the broader challenge of ensuring sustained action beyond data collection.
