illogical laws equals evasion-leds31dec2008

31 Dec 2008,,

Sir,
This is with reference to the airlines cutting fares and the government's ever increasing efforts to hold the galloping economy in check.
Chennai Bangalore air fare 200 rupees taxes 2300!
Petrol costs 12 rupees a litre to produce, taxes are 300 percent of it.
Usury is illegal but utilities, banks routinely charge 36 percent perannum and no questions asked.
Tax rate should a always be a fraction of the item price.No where else is it 600 percent of the air ticket price.
Illogically designed laws unjustly applied prevent compliance and intead encourage evasion.

So we are bestowed with a gross lawless nation, uncontrolled society and citizens.

appreciation of Tyagaraja's biography-28dec2008

NAT said...
Very very well written piece.Excellent source of information.Goes a long way in maintaining Indian culture in the easily accesible medium of world wide web.Immense thanks.
December 28, 2008 2:37 AM

http://musicinfoguide.blogspot.com/2007/07/biography-of-sri-thyagaraja-swami.html

are we Indians historically walkovers?-leds28dec2008

Sir,
Historically, it looks like we Indians invite invasion, plunder, pillage and occupation.
British,Chinese, French, Greeks,Muslims, Portugese, now our own made in India, corrupt brown babu brethern after independence.
All are welcome.
It boils down to the ABC of Indian Psyche.
Available, Accommodating, Always.
Break laws from Manu onwards to date, corrupting the corruptible and worse ourselves in the process.
Communicate this to the world.
Ensure, that any testosterone loaded male quenching the fourth basic instinct- conquer can occupy.

What is it that makes us vulnerable thus?

It is our stubborn refusal to sever the cradle to grave long umbilical cord, hankering for an
authority figure to control our lives.

After Mumbai, Delhi, Godhra Bangalore, it is time we learn the next alphabet D.

Defend ourselves without too many more deaths.
We donot attack, it is historically UNINDIAN.
Let us not be driven to it.

Sincerely yours,

Mr M.B. Nataraj

Gas firms, not consumers, should bear risk costs -TOI28dec2008

This is with reference to the gas fire tragedy on December 20 that killed three of a family I knew in Bovipalya. Few of us know that gas firms are aware of the dangers. But they make every customer pay an insurance premium to offset their expenses of Rs 5 to 10 lakh in case there are successful claims against them. An insurance underwriter can tell you how low the risk factor is, although we are made to pay for it. When this was first introduced about 15 years ago, I challenged them in the consumer forum on the grounds that we are just lessees of the connection. The gas companies are the owners. So they have to bear the risk costs. It was unfair to collect crores from all consumers to pay for a few accidents, in the guise of a biannual checking, where tubes would be replaced whether they were damaged or not. The case was decided in the favour of companies. In the past few years, these regular check-ups have become sporadic or have stopped altogether for reasons best known to the companies. After every tragedy, nothing concrete is done. Fake agents, despite being brought to the notice of the companies, continue to hoodwink the people. It’s time for consumer courts to intervene and protect us. A group effort is needed to corner these gas companies and force them to act.

LPG Accidents-LEDP Indian Express-13feb1988

Gas companies charges Illegal Indian Express-9 sep 90

Gas company charges illegal BCC order Kannada prabha 9 Sep 90

Beware LPG tube replacement gimmick-16feb2007

16 Feb 2007,
Dear Girish B Kotbagi,
Indian Oil Corporation,
Here with the warning I was trying to send to IOC/HP/BP about these unauthorized LPG checks carried out by private agencies and the confusing names they employ to getaway with this cheating.
It destroys the national companies images as they will say they are from the company and later your representative turns up to do the official test and customer has to pay again. As you notice they even use confusing names to make it sound like they are from you-"Indani Gasoven Divsion".Since I have sent the complaint to the others BP and HP again through their web contact page, it might not have reached the right authorities, feel free to forward this to your counterparts in those companies if you know them so that all your customers are not cheated further.
A newspaper ad and prior announcement of Calendar of checking dates by you Gas companies may help prevent damage to your reputation by these unscrupulous agencies.Sincerely yours

LPG Tragedies-avoidable-leds25dec2008

25 Dec 2008,
Sir,This is with reference to the gas fire tragedy on 20 dec 2008 which took all the three lives of a family I knew in Bovipalya.
Few of us know that , the gas well aware of the dangers. But they are making every customer pay an "insurance premium" to
offset their expenses of 5 to 10 lakhs in case of successful claims againt them. An insurance underwriter can tell how low is the risk factor we are being made to pay for.

When this was first introduced about 15 years ago, I successfully challenged them at the consumer forum on the grounds that the we were just lessees of the connection, the gas companies were the owners, so they had to bear the risk costs.
It was grossly unfair to collect crores from all consumers to pay out a few accidents, under the guise of biannual checking only
by the company authorized technicians.
They would replace the tubes whether they were damaged or not overcharging the customers by about 100 percent. This would generate crores for the companies who had to deal with the dealers claims for higher service charges.
The companies afraid of losing crores,represented by a legal luminary appealed and the case was decided in their favor as the customers were not represented by any able counsel despite approaching the then major consumer protection organization CERC etc.
The past few years these "regular checkups" have become sporadic or stopped altogether for reasons best known to the companies.
After every tragedy and furore nothing concrete gets done.
Fake agents -despite being brought to the notice of the companies- continue to hoodwink unwary majority.
would not a pair of half inch worm clamps costing less than 4 rupees in bulk on the cylinder head and stove would prevent an improperly fixed tube slipping out and leaking?
A tear is a rarer possibility in such tragedies.
The question publicly raised but so far unaddressed is it safe to submerge a leaking gas cylinder in water to slow down the leak?
Gas companies and investigators should urgently enlighten customers.

booting bush out-toi17dec2008

Booting out Bush was a symbolic gesture which all of the arab world and much of rest of the world applauded.But is it going to shame the man into any change?because shame is an unlikely word in his dictionary

Traffic congestion-4 dec 2008-TOI leds

Sir,
It is extremely unfortunate that despite repeated complaints over months to the concerned traffic authorities, vehicles continue to be illegally parked, day and night. Like this at 4 main and I main mahalakshmi lay out , very busy roads intersection.
It leads to very heavy traffic jams and severe honking pollution.
Authorities should attend to the majority's sufferings than individual's conveniences.

Ban honking Day 1 Dec 2008-toileds

2 Dec 2008,

It was so very easy to mock Mr S M Krishna's vision of Bangalore as Singapore.
What is harder is to applaud its boldness.
In the face of Indian resistance to any change-even for the better.
Of late, indiscriminate honking has become a socially tolerated form of public expression of individual impatience and frustrations.
Honking is a tool for reckless driving.
Any honking is a violation of the existing laws which prescribe a 85db limit.
Much of the blame has to be borne by the justice system which appeared to favor the honkers in an accident.

It is depressing to see that we need to be "taught to wake up to tolerate silence"
I would like to believe that my 2006 ban honking petitions (http://www.petitiononline.com/banhonk/petition.html)
and hundreds of complaints to the authorities contributed a squirrel's mite(Alilu seve) to observing Ban honking Day on 1 Dec 2008.
This is a war, that enforcement authorities and public have to wage 24/7 .
It can be done by specifically noting the registration details of vehicles fitted with overly loud horns and unnecessary honkers and penalizing them severely.