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Thanks, Metro! - Reader's Mail

On Sunday, August 24, I boarded a Delhi Metro train for Chawri Bazar at around 10-30 a.m. I was on my way to the Darya Ganj Sunday market to buy old book for my forthcoming civil services exam. But before I could get down from the train at New Delhi station I realised that someone had picked my pocket. My wallet had my metro smart card and Rs.1,000 for purchase of books.

I got panicky as I had no money even to get back home. However, I took the next metro back to Karol Bagh and lodged a complaint with the metro officials there and asked for help.

The authorities not only helped me by providing a token to get out of the station but also extended financial assistance of Rs.50 which I promised to return. I am really very thankful to the Delhi Metro officials for their kind gesture and applaud their generosity.

I also want to suggest deployment of policemen in civil dress at metro stations and aboard metro trains to prevent such incidents.

Mansi Agrawal,

4/C, Una Enclave, Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi – 110 091.

The Oxford dictionary defines “Secularism” as the doctrine which states that morality should be based solely in regard to well-being of humankind in the present life with the exclusion of all considerations drawn from belief in God or in a future state.

Despite the fact that our leaders swear by secularism, there is a strange perversion of this concept. While the Haj Committee that works under the Government has been created to help Muslim pilgrims travel to Makkah, no comparable organisation exists to provide similar facilities to pilgrims from other faiths. Our leaders are adopting double standards while dealing with different religious groups. Today the majority as well as the minority has started showing signs of communalism. In fact, religion has become synonymous with inequality, irrationalism and superstition. Catholics deny the right of women to control their bodies by disallowing contraception. Muslims and Hindus perpetuate cruelty on women citing religious dictums. In the name of religion civil liberties and democratic rights are being suppressed.

To keep a State secular, it is necessary that religion should be subordinated to the national feelings. Illiteracy among the masses and blind faith in religion have to be removed to ensure the nation’s progress and unity.

Vinod C. Dixit,

B-15, Jyoti-Kalash Society, Jodhpur Tekra, S. M. Road, Ahmedabad.

Postal orders are economical tools for making payments in the present era of high bank commissions on purchase of pay orders and demand drafts. But they are usually not available easily in all post offices. At smaller post offices such as Dariba (Delhi-110006) postal orders are available only between 12 noon and 3 p.m. Moreover, the required quantity is not always available.

The postal authorities must ensure that sufficient quantities of postal orders in all denominations are available at all post offices throughout the working hours.

Also, the sale of postal orders should be modernised by making these available like cheque books in packs of ten or more per booklet.

Postal orders of Rs.10 are increasingly being used to file petitions under the Right to Information Act as the required RTI fee. Special postal orders for this purpose with the payee’s name endorsed as “Accounts Officer” should be introduced.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal,

1775, Kucha Lattushah, Dariba, Chandni Chowk, Delhi – 110 006.

I deposited a cheque for Rs.50,000 with ICICI Bank, Gurgaon (Savings A/c No. 002101038086) on August 10, 2007, towards that year’s premium for my Birla Sun Life Policy (Reference No.001200764). Regrettably while the amount got debited from my account on September 17, I have not received the premium payment receipt so far nor the policy documents.

I have sent a number of e-mails/letters to the authorities concerned but have not got any positive feedback yet.

I request senior executives at Birla Sun Life now to please take action at once, as I have not been able to even include the policy details for Income Tax exemption for the last financial year.

Col. Akhil Sharma,

Indian Ex-Services League, 9, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110 021.

I paid Rs.367 against my Reliance Broadband bill (No. 30214910) by cheque on August 1, the due date for payment. The amount was debited from my account with the Canara Bank branch at Dilshad Garden in Delhi on August 5. However, the outgoing service on my phone was disconnected on August 14!

I have made a dozen complaints to Reliance Care so far. Every time I was assured that the service would be restored within 24 hours, but to no avail.

Is Reliance listening?

Biju Joseph,

131 B, Pocket E, Dilshad Garden, Delhi – 110 095.

My MTNL landline phone (25832779) at my residence has no dial tone since the last week of July. I have personally reported the matter at the Inderpuri telephone exchange office and have called several times to remind them. I have also filed online complaints on 25832198 / 198, but to no avail. My phone has not been fixed yet.

I request the MTNL authorities now to look into the matter at the earliest. Dr. K. P. Wasnik,

WZ-276, Second Floor, Inderpuri, New Delhi -110 012.

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Thanks, Metro! - Reader's Mail

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