Maharashtra RTO

Kudos to RTO in Maharashtra for the initiative and willingness to make transportation a safe and efficient experience for the people. For a very long time if not for the first time we are seeing a very proactive efforts from the government body. Also they have picked up the right issues which are of utmost impact to the people in general. Having said that as expected there has been a tremendous resistance to these efforts from some quarters. But as we all know there is always a resistance for any kind of change.

Let me put across some main points which have been or will be useful and better going forward if the authorities in addition to RTO pursue with their drives and initiatives just like RTO.

1) Electronic meters in Auto rickshaw: This is certainly welcome by the vast majority of the people. We have seen meters which have been tampered with or faulty resulting in added fare for the commuters. Expectedly this has been resisted by the unions(Less said about the Rao's the better). Post the RTO crackdown, I have been seeing my commute charges going down my 35-40 rupees one way. The auto union argument of able to tamper these meters doesnt have any merit. The electronic meters will certainly be a deterrent in tampering.

2) Pranks of Auto/Cab drivers: We all know and have experienced the various pranks played by these drivers. Gone are the days when Mumbai auto and cab system was the example to follow for other cities with drivers as your buddy for the travel duration. Unofrtunately such drivers are a rarity but we do at times come across them. There are some who wish good bye and ensure during the journey that travel is comfortable by talking to the passengers. There are some genuine reasons on refusal to ply certain destinations and these reasons can be congested roads, traffic snarls, auto being from a different suburb etc. Infrastruture problem can be solved primarily by the concerned authorities and to a great extent by the the people by observing traffic discipline. Auto union argument of having a separate colour code for long distance travelling ones does make sense.

3) Fare : We all know how comuters are held to ransom by means of strikes over fare hikes. As per the honourable Sharad Rao, he wnats to ensure that every driver is able to take home 25000Rs per month. It is no rocket science that we need to work hard to make more money and not by fleecing people. Here the government should step in too. My thought is why not allow advertisements on these autos and black/yellow cabs? This can really offset any losses if any is being incurred. Its kind of win-win situation for all.

4) Regulating school buses : All the new rules put forth by RTO are well justified and meaningful. Here too the school bus owner association is trying to arm twist by frequent strikes. My sincere appeal to RTO is not to give in to any of their demands. Its after all the kids lives who are at stake. And we have read about instances which have resulted in accidents and unfortunate death of the kids due to non implementation of guidelines. Most of the buses are not even road worthy to say the least.

5) Tinted glasses, and fancy number plates: RTO should strictly put an end to this nonsense. Post terror attack in Pune, the police commissioner there had commented and advised two wheeler drivers against covering the faces with scarfs which actually is used to shield from pollution and heat. In light of this argument how can tinted glass or fancy number plates be not a terror threat? Many number plates are hard to even decipher. How can the authorities ensure that this will not be misused by criminals? RTO should really come done heavily on such offenders.

6) Noisy engines and horns: There is one particular manufacturer of three wheeler whose vehicles defy all logic when it comes to engine noise. Even a multi axle volvo or a mercedes bus makes less noise than this three wheeler. Isnt it strange that these vehicle pass RTO tests and comply with pollution norms? Many two wheeler owners like to install loud and noisy horns and enjoy in scaring people. RTO should come down heavily on manufacturer of such horns and garages who help install them.

7) Lane markings and good road conditions: This needs to be aggressively followed up by RTO so as make travel and transport more disciplined and safe. We often find traffic junctions in poor condition and a bump or a deep cut all of a sudden on a smooth road catching motorists totally unawares.

8) Traffic police commissioner: We really need a separate commissionerate to take care of ever increasing traffic and vehicles. This reminds us the good old days of Mr Pasricha during which we used to be proud of our traffic and the traffic police too. There is a need for more pro-activeness from traffic police. They should be equipped to reach quickly the trouble spots and communicate with others.

9) Electronic boards across major roads and highways: These will be so helpful during traffic jams, accidents and other conditions during which motorists can be guided to use less congested roads, divert/merge traffic etc. apart from flashing traffic rules and tips for smooth drive.

10) Roadworthiness of vehicles: We come across so many vehicles who have lived beyond their ages. Many a times they break down causing inconvenience to others. These include even government vehicles which pollute noise and air a lot. We often see ST buses without a door for the drivers. What if there is a sudden bump and driver falls off his seat? Authorities should be stric in implementing norms and other rules.

Contrasting visits by head of states in Mumbai

With French president's visit coming to close I just couldn't help compare the visit by President Obama with that of President Sarkozy.

President Obama's visit was so hyped with plane load of security and other concerned staff descending and sanitizing the place. People were inconvenienced everywhere. Some were barred from bursting crackers even though it was Diwali the biggest festival for Indians. Some were barred from keeping their house windows open and the building terraces taken over by the security staff. Ferry guys were deprived of their livelihood as President Obama was put up at Taj. The ferry services were closed down during his stay. The regular commercial flights were suspended during Presidents Obama's takeoff and landing. And finally as expected he refused to denounce people harbouring terrorists and the hotbed of terror, due to which they had to do such a massive sanitizing exercises.

Look at President Sarkozy's visit. It was devoid any hype. The general public was so less inconvenienced that it went unnoticed. He spoke directly against hotbed of terror and their activities. He also strongly supported India's claim to UN permanent seat.

I am not a political analyst to talk about whose visit was more successful. But certainly these are views of an average fellow.

But yeah in the end I am not sore as we Indians welcome guest wholeheartedly and take pride in taking care of them in the best possible manner. But at the same time it saddens us when people like APJ Abdul Kalam our former president and a highly respected individual is made to go through body checks. Praful Patel our civil aviation minister gets taken aside for questioning. And just yesterday itself our ambassador is subjected to pat down checks!!

No double standards please!!

Mumbai local train timetable

Some great effort put into.

Credit Bureau's

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/04/18/stories/2009041851620600.htm

Its a sad beginning to say the least. Each and every individual will be at the mercy of these bureau's. The reports from these agencies will be used to charge high interest rates from the individuals for any loan or credits. And if one needs to be in the good books of these agencies then they need to take more loans or credits and repay on time. Thus more income for the financial institutions. Now isn't that killing two birds with one stone? Just look at CIBIL's share holding pattern. It says all. How the banks and institutions have ganged up against the individuals. Moreover they cannot be under the RTI act as they do not fall under public authority.

So many questions tend to arise when you have such agencies directly impacting the individuals.

1) How do we ensure that the credit report on individual given by these agencies are correct? Just do a google search and you will find plenty of false reports by which the individuals were affected. http://www.consumercomplaints.in/complaints/cibil-c41553.html is one such link.
2) Why not have such rating agencies for banks and financial institutions?
3) How about rating them on Fraudulent transactions, negligent services, unfair practises? Unsolicited credit cards, sky high and illegal interests on the credit card amount, bogus schemes are the order of the day. And to top up they have "Recovery Agents" as well.
4) Isn't it a fact that so many banks and financial institutions have done a vanishing act leaving the depositors high and dry?

In fact I did try to get few of my doubts clarified hoping that my fears will prove to be untrue. But alas that was not the case. I was shocked at the CIBIL chief's interview in Indian Express Newspaper dated February 6th 2005. As per the chief's interview in the Indian Express, if a credit card is sent unsolicited to an individual, then the responsibility falls on the concerned individual to get it inactivated/cancelled. :-(
So I did email CIBIL for clarifying this and few other doubts. I got reply from one Ms. Bhakti Sanklecha, Manager - Management Services & Operations asking for more details on the interview. I replied and am still waiting for their response!!
I certainly do not want myself to be rated on my credit worthiness especially by such agencies with doubtful credentials. But will I be able to? No way. No way.

All about Mobile Networks

Cell phone companies and customer support

support or customer service amongst Cell phone companies in India are a big joke. The customer is happy as long as he doesn't need the so called customer service from the cellular companies. The agents or customers support officers are trained not to acknowledge the problem in the first place. Then if the customer really overcomes this hurdle then they ensure that the customer is inconvenienced so much that he is really sorry to ask for the help in the first place. Their only motive seems to be only keeping the shareholders happy. The customers and the service are the least priority for them. See how they have succesfully dodged the number portability.

Let me narrate my recent experience with Vodafone (unfortunately dont know how to keep it short).

I wanted the number which was in my fathers name transferred to my mother since he expired. I called up the so called "happy to help" support number. I was advised to go to nearest vodafone store with the death certificate copy and a formal request letter signed by my mother. Upon visiting the the store, they gave me separate set of forms to be filled in and signed. Then they asked for 2 photographs. Then address proof. And a no objection certificate from my father!!! After 3 visits and some hard talk they finally accepted the request and told me that a confirmation SMS will sent within 60 mins and actual transfer will take 2-3 working days.

When even after four days there wasnt even trace of the promised SMS, I called up the "happy to help" support again. I was shocked to learn that they didnt have request for the number transfer. They asked me to revisit the store and enquire about it. Which I refused and asked them to give me a number to talk to the store instead. They pleaded helplessness. finally out of frustration I requested them to discontinue the service. Again they said this request will be acted upon within 2-3 working days.

On the third day I got a call asking my mother for the service discontinuation confirmation. So now as you see both the requests were acted upon. I reconfirmed the support executive if the name transfer has been done. And yes name transfer indeed had happened alongwith service discontinuation. So I again asked if the service disconnection request can be dropped since name transfer was done. She said its very much possible and I have to make a formal request apart from this telephonic request. She gave me an email id wherein I can make a formal request. I did that and got a auto-reply as well.

So all in all I thought it was a happy ending. But after couple of days the number just died. The service was disconnected.

This is the way vodafone is "happy to help"

Drunk Driving and ideal traffic conditions

Kudos to Mumbai traffic police for the great work in strict enforcement of the law against drunk driving. I just hope that this continues to be enforced thereby making the traffic conditions safer.

But at the same time I feel there are lots of other areas where a similar initiative is desired.

1) Number or License plates: As we look across we find vehicles with fanciful number plates. They come with different fonts, styles and sizes. And at times even you can find a mix of English and local language thereby creating a fancy word or a name. I dont think the RTO rule book okays this type of plates. Now doesnt this need to be checked? There is no way for the traffic police catch a person who for example has jumped the signal, carjacked or knocked someone down and sped away.

2) Tinted Glass: We are seeing more and more vehicles(four wheelers to be precise) with varying shades of tinted glass. Again I dont think the rule books will be okaying this. There are vehicles even with zero visibility from outside. This is a great security concern as well. Not sure if the police think it otherwise.

3)Overloading and portruding of goods from the vehicles: Its a pretty common sight to see a truck filled with iron cables and portruding out way behind with a dirty red cloth tied at the end. Then we have people doing similar kind of activity in three wheelers wherein the materials are tied to the outside. Now how dangerous can it be? Is this okayed in the rule book?

4)Noisy vehicles: There are vehicles with extremely loud horns and/or extremely noisy engines. The Piaggio three vehicles are perfect example of the noisy vehicles. Its good to know though that the police is conducting a drive against honking and marking the silent zones. Infact there should be a blatant ban on honking thus making easier to implement the rule.

5) Intersection blocking: This is the most irritable action by the motorists who dont believe in keeping the road intersection clear. So even if one road is clear ahead, it still results in traffic jam due to this foolish action of the motorists on the already jammed road. Simple things like "Keep Clear" signs on the intersections or road junctions would greatly reduce traffic snarls.

6)Parking nightmare: There should be strict rules on parking. Often we see the patrons of restaurants parking their vehicles on roads and even footpaths thereby creating traffic problems. So the establishments should be asked to have parking lot of their own. Then parking of vehicles on narrow and/or busy roads should be completely banned.

7) Road worthiness: There are so many vehicles you find stranded due to poor state of the vehicles. This is especially true with heavy vehicles and on highways or expressways. We have tyres bursting or vehicles turning turtle which really endangers other motorists.

8) Lane marking and discipline: This is one thing I fail to understand whats preventing the authorities from enforcing it. This would significantly make the conditions safer. I read somewhere that overtaking is biggest cause of accidents. If thats the case then lane marking is what we need now.

9) Road marking and directions: Authorities dont seem to believe in it. Due to lack of it many a times motorists tend to make mistakes by quick and dangerous swirls or make incorrect turns or even end up on the wrong side of the traffic.

10) Respect to fellow motorists and pedestrians: This in my opinion is the first one that needs to be self imposed and the rest will automatically follow thereby making the traffic conditions ideal and dream come true.