In Kerala, a citizen’s journey through government offices is a slow, painful march through corruption, inefficiency, and bureaucratic apathy. Nothing moves without a bribe. The revenue and registration departments, the very institutions that should facilitate essential services, have become toll booths where the price of progress is determined not by policy but by the size of an envelope passed under the table.

Want a land title deed (pattayam)? Be prepared to shell out lakhs. Need a simple land reclassification? That’ll cost you at least ₹25,000. Even something as basic as a possession certificate or an income certificate demands an unofficial ‘service fee’—because without it, files gather dust. The Right to Service Act, which promises timely delivery of government services, exists only on paper. Delays are the norm, and accountability is absent.

The Cost of Corruption

The sub-registrar offices, responsible for property transactions, are no different. A vigilance raid across 76 offices revealed unaccounted cash in stacks—evidence of how deeply entrenched bribery is. Document writers, once meant to help navigate the system, now act as intermediaries in corruption, ensuring that even a basic transaction is impossible without paying a ‘facilitation charge.’ Attempts to digitalize these services have failed miserably, carrying forward all the inefficiencies of the offline system, only now with an added layer of bureaucratic chaos.

Online applications don’t guarantee online solutions. Instead, they serve as a digital mirage, requiring applicants to visit offices multiple times, where officials remind them that without a little ‘appreciation,’ their request won’t move forward. And if a citizen chooses to stand their ground and not pay? Their application mysteriously disappears into oblivion.

Unaffordable Housing and Policy Paralysis

Land prices in Kerala have artificially risen, and the middle class can’t afford to buy or build homes. Why? Because the government refuses to adjust the ‘fair value’ of land, keeping stamp duty and registration fees prohibitively high. The result? A real estate market controlled by builders, land mafia and tycoons and only those with influence or deep pockets can navigate the system.

If the UDF wants to prove itself as a genuine alternative, it must break this cycle of corruption and inefficiency. Reducing stamp duties, lowering fair value, and making housing affordable should be a priority. But more importantly, it must fix the governance rot that has made Kerala a state where even basic services feel like a privilege.

A State Stuck in Dysfunction

Beyond corruption, the lack of vision in infrastructure development is staggering. Roads are laid, only to be dug up weeks later for water pipelines. The pipelines leak, get repaired, and then, before the dust settles, another department comes in to redo the roads—repeating the cycle of waste and incompetence. Departments don’t coordinate, projects stall, and taxpayers fund the never-ending loop of inefficiency.

Meanwhile, our best and brightest continue to leave. Skilled professionals see no future in a state that does not provide employment that meets their aspirations. Instead of focusing on its strengths—human resources, tourism, private healthcare—The state government under Chief Minister Pinarayi keeps increasing taxes, pushing businesses away, and making it harder for those who stay to survive. Not to mention the so-called ease of doing business, where the movement of goods is policed by government-authorized goons who charge nookukooli.

In a world advancing in leaps and bounds, Kerala is being left behind, clinging to the laurels of its past achievements in health indices and quality of living. The ease of getting things done in a village office or sub-registrar office is a true measure of a state’s quality of life. Yet, citizens are forced to stand for hours with their heads bowed before corrupt public servants. The Pinarayi government has failed to address these issues, clinging to the state’s past achievements while delivering little in terms of meaningful reform.

The Emperor Without Clothes

Despite ruling for two consecutive terms, the Pinarayi government has failed to deliver on its promises, leaving citizens frustrated and disillusioned. Corruption has deepened, governance has stagnated, and the state remains stuck in an economic quagmire. Pinarayi Vijayan continues to rule like an emperor without clothes, oblivious to the struggles of the people, much like the Modi government at the national level. Instead of ushering in reforms, he is presiding over a system that rewards inefficiency and punishes honest citizens. While Kerala faces mounting crises in employment, infrastructure, and public service delivery, his government remains trapped in a fool’s paradise, blind to the realities of the common man.

The Road Ahead

Kerala doesn’t need more taxes. It needs a radical shift in governance. Digitization must be meaningful, not just a smokescreen for inefficiency. Revenue departments should facilitate economic growth, not act as gatekeepers to corruption. Infrastructure should be planned with long-term vision, not patchwork fixes that last a season. And above all, policies should empower citizens—not make them feel like supplicants in their own state.

Until that happens, Kerala remains stuck in its paradox—a state with immense potential, held hostage by its own governance failures.