Sack Replaced with a Metal Box

Today, I feel genuinely happy and proud that my citizen report was taken seriously by the government and that action was finally taken against the corruption at Sarnath. When I visited the site to make a follow-up report, I was honestly shocked to see the scale of changes. Some of my colleagues had already mentioned improvements at Sarnath, but I was not expecting such a significant transformation. The first change I noticed was at the ticket counter itself. The staff was different—especially the main person involved in the earlier scam, who has since been transferred and later suspended (though I am not entirely sure about the suspension yet).

Sack is replaced with a metal box

New Tickets with Barcode and Unique Number

When I bought my ticket, I noticed the second major change: the ticket design. The new tickets now had a barcode and a unique serial number, making them traceable. The third change was at the gate, where the ticket checker was also a new face. He carefully tore the ticket into two parts, kept one half, and returned the other to me—exactly as the law requires. The fourth change came as a surprise. My camera was checked to determine whether it was for still photography or videography. Since filming requires an additional fee of Rs. 25, they were making sure nobody was shooting videos without paying.

new tickets with bar code and unique number

Metal Box Instead of Sack

The fifth and perhaps the most important change was that the old sack used to store tickets was gone. It had been replaced with a locked metal box. Once tickets went inside, there was no way to take them out and resell them. As I walked inside, I noticed more changes. There were more security guards on duty, and this time they were actively working. They patrolled continuously, stopped people from walking on the ruins, and even helped visitors. Everyone seemed alert and professional. The monument itself looked cleaner than I had ever seen it before. After spending about an hour walking around, I sat near the entrance gate to quietly observe the system. Every single ticket was checked, torn properly, and placed into the locked box. Another new rule was being enforced as well: people were not allowed to bring food inside. This has clearly helped reduce littering, keeping the site cleaner.

tickets were teard off

A Surprising Photograph

I wanted to document the new employee, but I wasn’t sure how to ask for his photo directly. So, I made a small plan with my friend. As I approached the exit, my friend pretended to ask me to get photographed in front of the entrance gate. While I was posing, something unexpected happened—the ticket checker himself called me over and asked to be photographed with me! He smiled, shook my hand, and posed happily for the photo. He had no idea that I was the person behind these changes. He didn’t know that his transfer to Varanasi was because of my report. He didn’t know that his chance of earning illegal money by reselling tickets was gone because of my work. I couldn’t help but laugh quietly to myself.

shaked hand happy cause he did not know that I was the who exposed the curroption

Feeling Proud

For a moment, I was nervous about being recognized, but none of the staff knew me since they were all new hires. In the end, I felt incredibly proud and relieved. Seeing real change on the ground made me believe in the power of speaking up.

Stupa at Sarnath

CNN-IBN broadcasted my follow-up report, and once again, I was reminded that raising your voice against corruption can make a difference.