The Hindu : Inside Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside Delhi

`Open loot at Auto Expo'

Visitors thronging Pragati Maidan to be a part of the ongoing Auto Expo came for a rude shock as they had to buy "heavily priced" entry tickets. And costly tickets was not the only matter of concern for them, particularly those who had come in groups or along with their families; the exorbitant prices of eatables being sold inside the fair premises also left them high and dry.

Accusing the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) as well as the organisers of the expo of adopting an arbitrary approach with their unreasonable pricing policy, many visitors said charging heavily for entry tickets from ordinary citizens who have come to witness the development of the automobile industry was ridiculous.

"Auto Expo is more like many other expositions held throughout the year at Pragati Maidan. While entry to some is free, in others it is reasonably charged. But asking people to pay as much as Rs.100 for entry to Auto Expo is nothing but open loot." Notably, it was only on Sunday that the tickets were available for Rs.50. And on the last day of the show, January 20, only business visitors are allowed, which means that if one wants to see the expo on the concluding day, he or she has to pay Rs.300 for entry!

"Crores of rupees that ITPO spends on maintaining and building facilities at Pragati Maidan, a chunk of it comes from the taxpayers' money. Taxing us again is cheating" was the general perception of the visitors. "When no extra arrangements have been made for our comfort, why are we being asked to pay more?"

Another factor that pinched people was the highly priced eatables being sold by restaurant owners inside Pragati Maidan. "A cup of tea costs Rs.10 while coffee is available for Rs.20 while the prices of other eatables are three to four times higher than sold in the market. Why are we being fleeced? Even for water bottles that cannot be sold over the maximum retail price, vendors are demanding twice the printed price. And all this is happening right under the nose of senior ITPO officials and police personnel which clearly exposes the state of affairs at Pragati Maidan," charged angry visitors.

Keen eyes

They may be young but when it comes to noticing the unlikely, children do sometimes spring surprises. As two little ones travelling on a DTC bus between Kendriya Terminal and Greater Kailash passed their time making notes from their "usual" journey on road, those on the public transport were left more than surprised with their careful and carefree observations of life in Delhi.

As the bus pulled to a halt at a Panchsheel Enclave signal, the two pointed to a gate that had been built on the road and laughed out aloud. When their father asked them what was the reason behind the unstoppable giggles, one of the brothers innocently enough remarked "Papa, there should be a house wherever there is a gate but this one has no house, people here are so stupid,'' laughed the kid.

An observation with no consequence? Not quite, especially since the particular gate had been built right next to the main road, with houses to its right, but no barriers to stop the entry of unruly elements on the left, making it a free passage in any case.

The kids even went to the extent of going on to note that the usual cows on the road were missing that day. "Pata nahin aaj kyon nahin hai, hamesha to road par baithi hain'' (I don't know why they are not on the roads today, they are seen here everyday) quipped one of them. Now considering even kids can take note of these civic blunders, wonder why the civic agencies missed them.

A long wait

Poor Manohar, studying in a municipal primary school in R. K. Puram, and his parents are a disappointed lot this winter. Every morning he leaves his jhuggi for the municipal school hoping he would finally get the sweater which was promised by his teacher last December.

"This is the reason why my parents did not buy me a new sweater. As a result, I am managing with this old and torn sweater. Every day I think today I will get the new sweater. But daily it proves to be a big disappointment,'' he said.

Manohar is not the only one who feels that their teachers have misled them. There are hundreds of others like him who have not been given the jersey they were promised by the civic body.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi had ordered purchase of 1.95 lakh jerseys for free distribution to primary school students. But due to routine procedural delays and bureaucratic hurdles, the jerseys started arriving only in the first week of January. As a result, less than 50 per cent sweaters have been distributed so far, officials concede. It would take another month to distribute the rest because quite a sizeable quantity is yet to arrive, they say. "What is the use of distributing sweaters when they are not required?''

ask Manohar's patients.

Well, do the MCD officials have any answer for this?

Heads and tails

Packaging is the `mantra' in these times of aggressive marketing. Be it any product, new or old, packaging gives them an altogether distinct identity. But there are always two sides to the coin.

The other day a friend went to a grocery shop at East of Kailash in South Delhi and was surprised to find something as commonplace as jaggery (known as gur in local parlance) being sold as a packaged product. The packet, resembling a chocolate-flavoured biscuit, certainly succeeded in catching the attention of buyers. It also announced that it was packaged in the most hygienic method and boasted of no use of chemicals. Not surprisingly, the product found more than a handful of buyers.

But at the same shop, another argument ensued between the shopkeeper and a man trying to push his consignment of chilli powder. As it turned out, the argument brought out the other side of the story.

The wholesaler wanted the shopkeeper to buy the consignment of chilli powder which he said was cheaper. The shopkeeper was suspicious about the quality of his product. "Look I have been selling the chilli powder bearing a certain trade mark and there has not been a single complaint. I don't want to take any risk and attract complaints from my customers," the shopkeeper said, explaining his stand.

However, the man was adamant to push his product. He tried every trick in his kitty but the shopkeeper would not budge. But the shopkeeper did not stand a chance after the man came up with a masterstroke: "I am sure you will never get a complaint about the chilli powder. If the powder were pure and concentrated, people would reduce the quantity of the powder to be used in the food. And if it is mixed with impurities, they would only say the powder is not bitter enough and add a couple of spoonfuls more. Who is there to complain?"

Perhaps it was only the presence of several customers which kept the shopkeeper from buying the consignment. Talk about quality control!

Lalit K. Jha and Prashant Pandey

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