Getting the VTU Certificate attested...!!

I though of posting this because I know whatever information I got from the net was out dated. I didn't want, other like me, to re-invent the wheel again.

Since Jan 1 2009, VTU document is no longer attested in Bangalore. It has to be done in Belgaum.

After 1-2 visits to Vidhan soudha, I got to know this information. I also got to know that it has to done in Regional commissioners office. I did check for the information on the net but couldn't find anyone who had got it done, in the near past. With a rough idea as to where the commissioners office was, thanks to google map, I booked the ticket for 10 March, Tuesday.

The train fair was 258/- + reservation charges. I had never traveled in train since my Engineering days. Just to give you rough idea of the duration, I passed out of BE in 2002. ( This is apart from the Euro train riders that I had when I was in Europe).

I was surprised when I was told that it would take 12 hrs to reach Belgaum from Bangalore. I have done couple of bike riders from/to Goa through that route and it had taken me about 8-10 hrs and with train I expected it to be less than that.

I was at the station by 9. The departure time was 9:15. It was easy to figure out where my reserved seat was. I should say that whole process of issuing the tickets has been streamlined very well. Take the e ticket print out and sit in the designated seat and when the TT turns up, show him any form of id along with the ticket.

I called up few of my friends to just kill few minutes before the train started. I had also taken a novel along with me to keep me company. Train started on time. 9:15. and soon everyone in my berth started to get ready to sleep. I had got the top most berth, on the request of my co passenger I switched to the lower most. I didn't want to get into conversation with anyone around. Not that I do it always, but I was just not in the mood. So I put on my mp3 player and started reading the Novel. Michael Crichton- "State of Fear". If you don't know who he is, Jurassic park should ring a bell. I had never read any of his novel. After I started reading it, I was so much engrossed in it that I was holding the book in any direction the light was beaming from.

Finally at 12 I decided to get some sleep. Unfortunately I was up by half past 5. I had chat with my co travelers. He happen to tell me that he usually travel to Mirut as his wife hails from that place. And in case I want to reach Belgaum, I had to take the train till Hubil and then hop on the bus. In bus it would take about 2 hrs to reach Belgaum but in train it would take about 4. I happen to see Londa pass after Hubli, then I was able to related to the delay. (Thanks to the bike trip back from Goa).

I reached Belgaum by 15 minutes to 9. When I walked out of the station, a long line of auto drivers where waiting to greet me to Belgaum ;). I asked one of the driver to Regional Commissioners Office. (DC office)Old Zilla panchayat office (As it read on the Internet). The guy was eager to show me the auto but was not sure of the place. He checked with 2 or 3 guys finally decided to take me to the court. :-D .Not in terms of any altercation. He told me that the office was located where the court was. I checked for the fare, with out any hesitation he say "50 Rupee" I didn't have any intentions of debating over it. I just wanted to go to the office get the work done and try to catch the train which was scheduled to leave 1:40 something. (This train runs only on Wednesday).

I was in the auto, riding through the streets of Belgaum. What shocked me was that the streets were literally deserted. Barricades put at few places and I could clearly see police men stationed at few other. I checked with the driver and he explained that it was due to Holi.
He also mentioned that it was holiday that day. Now I was cursing myself and also the guy in the Regional office, whom I had called up, for not mentioning anything about it. Anyway I though of trying my luck. Autowala did take me to the Commissioners office. I was there by 9:00 but alas the doors were not yet open.

I decided to wait for few minutes. Expecting that people in government office would start coming in at around 9:30. But I was wrong. When I didn't find any trace of human being, apart from me, in the building, I decided to check with someone outside. The only people I could see were the policemen stationed at Chennama Circle. I walked up to them and asked them about the timings of the office and the policeman was courteous enough to tell me that office starts only by 10:30 however the other policeman interjected that the holiday was declared and the office would be closed. On hearing that.. I just wanted him to be wrong. Then an argument broke out among themselves and finally they told me that office would be opened as the previous day was a holiday and no holiday was declared that day. However in their argument I was able to figure out bad case scenario ( as we software Engineers always think off) the office would be opened only in the afternoon, and the worst case scenario would be that I will have to stay in Belgaum for a day and get the work done next done.

I had my break-fast in a hotel called Milan. Near by to Chennama Circle. I was surprised to see the menu offered Neer dosa ( Kind of dosa which is prepared in coastal area of Karnataka, mainly in Mangalore, Udupi area). After having my break fast I went back to the DC office. Having nothing to do, started reading my novel again. It was really getting interesting.

Even after 10:40 as I was not able to seen any trace of anyone turning up. I decided to talk to the policeman who was standing at a distance. He explained me that as it was Holi, it was declared a band till afternoon and the office would open in the afternoon. and he also advised me not to go out as people would throw color and wouldn't care who I was.

I was relived for 2 reasons. One was that Office would definitely open and I would be able to get my work done and secondly I had not booked my return ticket. If I had, I would have booked in 1:30 train, which would have been waste of money.
With a peace of mind, I sat in the hotel in front of the office and return to the book, which I reading, while sipping the taste butter milk.

When I return to the closed office. I found another person also waiting to get document attested. While having a casual chat, he pointed out that the DD that I was suppose to carry, should be for the amount of 175/-. Unfortunately I had taken a DD for 150 as stated in the Govt. website. My mind was running quickly as to what to do. He had picked up a bankers cheque from the SBI branch in front of the commissioners office. The banks are usually closed by 12:30 or at least the business hours are only till 12:30. So I decided to pick up a DD for 25/- the difference amount I was suppose to have. When I went there found that business hours were till 4:30. I decided to delay my decision to take the DD only after double checking with the attestation officer.

After killing the time till 1 pm, just chatting with the stranger, the office did open. The assistant gave us 3 sheets of paper and asked us to get it xeroxed. But the xerox was not yet opened. I decided to pick the DD for the difference amount. The lady at the counter was surprised when I asked for the DD for 25/-. She told me that it would cost me 30/- (25+30=55) . I decided to pick the DD for 175 itself and get 150 DD canceled in Bangalore. Have to mention that the lady was sweet and after picking up the Bankers Cheque I decided to check on the xerox. There was this shop with the strange spellings for xerox.. "zerox" Renuka Xerox.. which is in the same compound as the court. Not that I'm brilliant.. I'm known for my horrendous spellings but I can make out when the spelling is wrong.

Once that was done, the officer was there by around 3:00 and the whole process of giving the document for verification and also paying the charges (105/-) took me about an hour.

Just to sum up the document I gave in office.

1) VTU BE certificate- 3 copies.
2) Passport copy - 2( also carry the original because they will ask for it)
3) Drivers Licences : 2 copies
4) Pan Card Copy : 2 copies.

You can also give voters id or ration card copy. He was also asking for the offer letter from the university (if you are going abroad for higher studies) or offer letter from the host company (if you are going abroad for work). I told him that I would produce it when I would return to get my Certificate attested.

He told me that whole process of verification from the university would take about a week and asked me to call up before I went there again to get the attestation done.
(PH: 08312461402)

By 4:00 I was on my way to the train station. I was looking for a auto when the auto driver how already had passengers in, asked where I was heading. On hearing that I was on my way to the station. He told me to hop on. It reminded me of the slang "sowlpa adjust maddi..". He droped me off to the station after dropping the other two passengers. This time around I paid him 40/-.

At a slow pace I walked to the ticket counter, thinking that I had ample time to get the ticket. The lady in the counter told me that the train was at 6:45 and she could issue only general ticket and not sleeper coach ticket. I even checked with the reservation counter. When I was not able to get the ticket, just the idea of sitting in the general compartment for 12 hrs drove me nuts. So I decided to catch a volvo or rajahamsa. The shop keeper with whom I had a chat told me to take a bus instead of on auto. He also told me that auto guys would charge me 40/- to take me to the CBT while the local bus would charge me 5/- . I took his advice walked to the circle for about 200 mts. Hopped on to the bus.
I was shocked to see that I passed the same building around which I had spend the whole day, Commissioners office. I have payed 90/- for something which could have costed just 10..

I got my tickets reserved in Rajahamsa which was suppose to leave at 6:00. (Costed me 430/- ) The seats were as comfortable as the seats in the economy class of the flights going abroad.As it was festival day there were hardly any people in the bus.
I reached Bangalore at 6:00, that too the conductor had to wake me up. (first time in my life I have slept so much)

The fun was not over yet. I was the BTS bus stand and decided to take the bus rather than auto. I have never traveled in bus in Bangalore after I bough my bike, and also I wanted to make up for extra spending I did in Belgaum. I knew the bus numbers 96,96A, 96B , 88. However I didn't know the name of the stop. :-) Finally I managed to recollect the name (which was apparently 2 stops before the last stop, not the right one)was home by 6:45..

Now waiting to make the call probably Tuesday and go back to belgaum on Wednesday to get the attestation done.