The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 05, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

No, Ma'am....

I was amazed to read Ms. Shivani Shah-Sheth's letter, "A nuisance?" in these columns last Monday (May 29) referring to Sandeep Joshi's "Inside Delhi" piece (May 16) titled "A nuisance for motorists".

Yes, I was amazed to read the comment of the learned lecturer from Ahmedabad who obviously is not aware of Delhi's traffic problems and law and order situation. Instead of trying to understand the problem, she went totally out of context.

Here I recall an occasion when my mother travelling in a car in Delhi almost lost her handbag. While the car was waiting at a traffic light at Noida Mor, a group of street children begging there snatched her bag and ran away. It was only thanks to an alert two-wheeler rider who chased the culprit and caught hold of him that she managed to get the bag.

Apart from harassing people, such elements also disrupt movement of traffic on the highly congested and dangerous Delhi roads. To avoid such incidents -- and accidents -- on roads, it is necessary that the police and other law enforcement agencies urgently act against unscrupulous elements loitering around on the roads and streets of the Capital.

As a citizen of India I too dream of creating a just and egalitarian society. Nobody wants that poor, famished souls should be swept under the carpet or be dismissed as insects. But begging on the roads and selling items at busy traffic signals is not the way out. What is required is a pro-active response from the Government.

K.P.S. Nayal,

Accounts Manager,

EDA Technologies,

404, Greenwood Plaza,

Sector 45, Gurgaon.

Service centres?

Through these columns I want to highlight the need to have a check on unscrupulous persons who operate under the garb of "service centres" and extort Annual Maintenance Contract fees from unsuspecting customers but render no service and often try to cheat.

I was lured into becoming a Standard Card Member (No. S 810) of Optima Webtech Private Ltd. on 28-09-2005 and my cheque (No. 306080) dated 28-09-2005 for Rs. 500 drawn on HDFC Bank, K. G. Marg, in favour of Auto Friends, Direct Selling Associates of this company (J-39, (LG) Rear Entry, Lajpat Nagar-II, New Delhi-24) was debited to my bank account. Optima Webtech is a company that offers round-the-clock services in repair and maintenance of home appliances in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Sahibabad and Ghaziabad. It claims to have a strong network of service centres equipped with experienced mechanics and engineers besides 30 service vehicles to promptly attend to any call. It also claims to have on its payrolls experienced mechanics who will reach any household within 60 minutes of the call. I have a copy of my Annual Service Maintenance Agreement which has been signed on behalf of Optima by Anjali Mudgil, its G.M. The one-year agreement is valid till 27-09-2006.

All the claims of the company have been found to be bogus. Two mechanics who visited my house to attend to a refrigerator problem tried to fleece me by quoting twice the market rate and then offering a 20 per cent discount. As it turned out, they were a local shopkeeper's private mechanics. We had to dole out an advance of Rs. 200 to one of the mechanics sent by Optima to buy spares for our refrigerator. The money was given after we were advised by Optima staff to give the advance if we wanted our refrigerator to be repaired. Their mechanic promised to carry out the repair the next day. He never returned. Since then two months have elapsed and my problem remains unattended. The company has been adopting dilatory tactics and no one has visited our house since.

I wonder how such fly-by-night operators are allowed to cheat the public. The credentials of the company's promoters need to be investigated and also its alliance with the Direct Marketing Associates, Auto Friends.

The address of this company is: Optima House, 1201, GD-ITL Tower, B-08, Netaji Subhas Place, Pitampura, Delhi-34.

Sunil Rampal,

1, Maitri Apartments,

A-3 Paschim Vihar,

New Delhi - 110 063.

Yes, but....

With reference to the report about the Supreme Court quashing the Delhi High Court judgment on super speciality courses (The Hindu, May 23), the following observations are most humbly submitted. First, it is extremely worrying that there is an increasing tendency to look the other way when there are serious irregularities in the functioning of administrative authorities. Secondly, with reference to the G. Anand Ramamurthy case, it is amply clear that the National Board of Examinations was inconsistently interpreting its own rules and regulations and inculcating "perversity and promoting illegality". The Delhi High Court was justified in giving relief to the aggrieved students. The Supreme Court has quashed that judgment.

The Supreme Court judgment is likely to have far-reaching implications, for from now on it would virtually be impossible to curb selective interpretation of rules and regulations and other irregularities by administrative authorities. It is hoped that a larger Bench of the Supreme Court will review its two-member Bench's judgment.

Sonia Gill,

306, Avantika Apartments,

Mayur Vihar-II,

Delhi - 110 092.

Wedding bells

The other day I came across an advertisement of UCO Bank broadcast on Radio City Red FM. It talked of a man who is tense because of his inability to arrange money for his daughter's wedding. All of a sudden his problems vanish when he hears a "helping voice" say that UCO Bank can give him a loan at a low interest rate to ease his worries about his daughter's wedding.

I think such images of women as a "burden" on the family budget are unfair. Why don't these advertisements show that the bank is ready to help at a time when the son is about to get married or when the daughter wants to pursue higher studies?

Tuba Mirza,

B.A. (Hons) History,

Miranda House,

University of Delhi,

Delhi - 110 007.

Me too

I refer to the complaints in these columns from Ms. Ramani Thomas (15th May) and Ms. Vijayalakshmi (22nd May) as fixed deposit holders of Escorts Limited. I too am in a similar situation.

A senior citizen, I have two FDs -- one amounting to Rs. 22,000 and the other Rs. 14,000. Both have matured but the company is not paying me my money. The company's offer of equity shares in lieu of money is not acceptable to me. I would like to have my money back at the earliest.

The Government should come to the rescue of the depositors if the company does not honour its commitments.

N.K.P. Rao,

A/8, Sector-5,

Rourkela - 769 002,

Orissa.

(Letters for this column may be sent by e-mail to wsins@thehindu.co.in. They must carry the full postal address of the writer and should be marked "Reader's Mail".)

Accounts Manager,

EDA Technologies,

404, Greenwood Plaza,

Sector 45, Gurgaon.

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