The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reader's Mail

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Monday, Oct 01, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Reader's Mail

Less equal?

If you drive through Sardar Patel Marg in the Capital everyday you can witness the plight of pedestrians trying to cross the road in front of the Defence Services Officers’ Institute to catch a bus to Gurgaon or places like Connaught Place or Ring Road from the other side of the road. It’s a norm in India that civic authorities react only when a disaster strikes or else they sleep in bliss.Everyday thousands of people cross this road but no effort has been made to install a red light, erect a bridge or build a subway here. It is true that Indians generally prefer short-cuts and avoid using subways or overhead bridges. But that should not deter the civic authorities from having safety measures in place. Surprisingly, work is going on in full swing to erect an overhead bridge from the parking lot of the Army Golf Course to the playing field! Does this mean that people travelling by bus are less important citizens as compared to the ones visiting the Golf Course and the former’s need for protection can, therefore, be ignored?

K. Aravamudhan,

15, Devdoot Apartments, D-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi.

Hello, Airtel….

Mobile service provider Airtel has been short-changing customers by charging extra amounts for its services one way or the other. It sends bills, through messages, for certain activated services that customers have asked it to de-activate but the request hasn’t been processed.

My security deposit for the year 2003 for mobile No. 98156-19854 has still not been refunded despite 300-odd requests through fax and calls on 121! It is about time I got my refund? Naresh K. Sehgal,

34-D, Majithia Enclave, Patiala.

DU’s ways

I am a final year student of the Faculty of Law at Delhi University. Under the rules prescribed by its Examination Department, I have had to pay Rs.400 in addition to the regular examination fee for a single paper pending from a previous semester. Curiously, a student has to pay the same amount irrespective of the number of papers pending. So candidates appearing for a single examination paper are made to pay an amount equivalent to that payable by those appearing for two, three or four papers (students appearing for five papers have to pay Rs.500)!

Does the University have an explanation for this vague practice?

Jitendra Singh,

LLB, Final Year, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110 007.

Bollywood magic

Before the Potter-mania all around us could fade away, in came Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Chak De India” celebrating a sport that has been — for the vast majority of our youngsters — surviving in the shadows of cricket and football. But how does one explain the fast improving performance of the Indian hockey team post-“Chak De India”? I suggest coincidence. But at any rate the film did its job rather well, and we surely can’t get enough of it.

Surely it should renew our faith in the power of Indian cinema!

Archana Nair,

C-27, 2nd Floor, Hauz Khas, New Delhi- 110016.

A puzzle

I live in Surajkund, Faridabad, which is hardly two kilometres from Delhi’s Badarpur border. I mailed a postcard to National Book Trust in Hauz Khas, New Delhi, some time in February requesting for a catalogue. They responded and posted a Hindi catalogue (although I had asked for an English version!) on February 28 with a postage stamp of Rs.19 and an envelope stating “On Indian Government Service”. The stamp on the envelope is dated March 1, 2007. I received this letter on September 1 -- exactly six months later!

I wonder how my postcard of 50 paise reached them in such a short time while a letter with a postage stamp of Rs.19 took so long.

Mohammed Afzal,

D2/4 SDV, Surajkund, Faridabad, Haryana – 121 009.

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