Wednesday, December 24, 2014

On the first leg.

The first leg of a ten day journey brought us to my sister's place at Palakkad, two hours before sunset just as she was returning from the school, where she teaches.

The whole of the forenoon was spent in tying up loose ends and securing 'The Quarterdeck'. The LPG refill arrived a few minutes before we're to kick off. Phew! A special mention of the much touted computerised booking of the cooking gas refill(A grim warning to those who vouch for technology making a system transparent and therefore, ensuring that there's no scope for corruption!) This is just to highlight that, in our country, even the most foolproof system ends up having loopholes and is exploited by the crooked within to suit their requirements! Consider the milestones mentioned below, where it takes 50 days to get a refill from the date of booking as per official clarification and here's what Lekha'd to undergo:-

        (a) 30 Oct              Books for a refill, online and gets a serial number that she notes down.
        (b) 17 Dec             As it's a week from the date of departure out of station and over 50 days
                                      days since the booking was done, she decides to check the status only to
                                      get frustrated to see that the date of booking is now being registered as
                                      16 Nov!
        (c) 18 Dec             She cross checks yet again only to find that the booking has been cancelled!
                                      In a fit of rage, she goes to the Indane office in which the connection is
                                      registered and demands an explanation. The young lady at the counter -
                                      who'd earlier refused to part with her telephone number lest she be disturbed
                                      unnecessarily(?). Wonder what her attitude would have been if she were a
                                      government official? - on being cornered, tells her that the refill would arrive
                                      during the next week without specifying on the actual date!!
        (d) 24 Dec             The refill arrives finally. The delivery boys put the refill in place, are
                                      in a tearing hurry to scoot and are silent about the balance amount of Rs.40/-
                                      (The matter will be taken up with the same office on our return, for sure!)

To recap, it takes 55 days to get a cooking gas refill and that too, after pointing out the lacuna to the gas agency! The delivery boys never carry change and you are supposed to forget about the balance amount because if you're to insist upon it, they'll ensure that the subsequent deliveries are hampered!! And this happens to a defence officer who also happens to be a 'gallantry award winner'!!! I shudder to think of the other poor consumers who do not have any similar appendages to glorify them!!!!

Why do we have to face such misery from our own people? And who's exploiting whom in this case? This organisation needs to be straightened out even if one has to go through personal difficulties and missed deliveries, because the public mustn't suffer!


Tailpiece.

Reached my sister's place, at Palakkad, by a trifle before 1600h - 98 km within two hours but the traffic wasn't that heavy! Not bad!!

 

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