Mailbag

Make tariff-list available

Sir,

Whenever the fare structure of buses, metadors and other transport etc. are increased by the Government, the concerned authorities publishes the new rate list for general knowledge of public and a copy of rate list is exhibited inside all the buses and metador etc. This avoids unnecessary hardship and harassment of the commuters.

Last March the rate of Electric fee was increased in high proportion by the Government, but the details of this increase was not been made public with the result that unscrupulous elements in Electric Deptt. harass the public for their immoral gains. This confusion can be cleared by the Deptt. by publishing a list of rates for minimum tariff applicable to different loads. A copy of this list issued by Chief Engineer concerned must be published in newspapers and be also displayed in all the rent collection offices of the Department.

This will also remove the misgivings in the mind of general public that the higher Deptt, staff is in league with the field staff in fleecing the general public in garb of collection of electric dues.

Yours etc..
B L Sharma
287-Subash Nagar
Jammu.

Action against defaulters

Sir,

I fully agree with what Ms Usha Gupta has expressed (Daily Excelsior, 9th of Oct 99) about the underhand and unscrupulous means adopted by the LPG distribution agencies to cheat the consumers. In fact, there is a nexus between these agencies, the Oil Companies and the Food and Supplies Department.

In order to avoid home delivery of LPG refils to consumers, these agencies in connivance with the Oil Companies, devise novel, unlawful and illegitimate methods to deprive consumers of the facility available under the law/instructions of the Government of India. Sometime back the JAK FED forced its consumers to produce original sale documents for verifications and of late the Federation has required consumers to produce ration tickets to become legible for home delivery. This is only a ploy to deprive the genuine consumers of the facility provided under law as these hapless consumers will now be forced to lift the refils at distribution points so that Federation may pocket the rebate of Rs 5/- per refil which is otherwise due to consumer as per oil companies' advertisements.

Ms Gupta's plea to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will not bear any fruit unless a public awareness campaign is launched against these agencies/Oil Companies so that Government of India and State Government are forced to take severe action against the defaulting agencies/companies.

Yours etc...
Baij Nath
Lower Luxminagar
Sarwal Jammu.

Miserable life

Sir,

Much ink has been used on the unprecedented exodus of K P community. But have very seldom debated and discussed the individual plight of this very migrant ditched in the wreck of sorrow and grief.

I have come across a number of persons who are living in abject misery. One wonders how do they arrange and manage to live in these hard times when the prices of essential commodities have jacked-up enormously. Such person are neither drawing government pension nor they have any other source of income except paltry amount of relief for migrants and old age pension provision thrown by the government as a succour for destitutes. Out of this insignificant amount they have to pay rent and meet day to day expenses of livelihood.

One of the widow migrant had applied for one room tenament facing the similar problem. She approached personally to relief commissioner but it paid no dividend. We can have similar such cases in numbers, even worst than it but, undiscovered.

Another instance of a middle aged K P begging in a feeble voice for a ten rupee note for medicine. All compulsion and desire.

Married, unmarried women working in factories and private concerns on a throw away salary to supplement their source of income.

These are the horrors of life that has worsened and weakened the social and moral fabric of our community.

What we have thought about such cases who are facing challenges of life is quite baffling.

Such horrors of life can easily bring a person to the point of suicide or adopt such ways bound to denigrate the position and demolishing the entire profile and prestige of the community.

Whom to blame for all this? Is it the outcome of our Karma or incorrigible drawbacks inherent in our society.

This is the question for those Zealots who are bent upon to obliterate our indentity. It is question for all those in Government machinery who have skill fully monoeuvered our exodus without giving and protection to this peace loving community. It is question for the Government machinery who have thrown us on cross roads like living cabbages. It is question for our leaders who have never thought for our rehabilitation and re-settlement. Long ten years have passed and we are marching towards deterioration and extinction.

It is very easy to write essay but very difficult to understand the tears and wounds of this hapless community.

''Earth belongs to the living and not to the Dead''.

So nothing is lost as yet provided we mean to live with dignity which needs courage, determination, unity and spirit of sacrifice with one voice, one platform under one banner.

Yours etc...
P.N. Sus
129, Suriya Vihar
Bohri-Jammu.

Towards stone age

Sir,

It has reference to your Editorial ''Totally uncalled for'' dated October 12, 1999. I am neither surprised nor feeling irritated by the power cuts presently for nine hours as Dr Farooq Abdullah had categorically said, 'No power, but we will charge tariff' (Excelsior news dated Feb 24, 1999). Better to sell refrigerators, TVs, fans, coolers, irons and other electric appliances and bring clay pots, candles, lanterns, hand fans etc. as there are symptoms that we are fastly retrograding towards stone age. When an irony.

Yours etc...
Adarsh Ajit
Ragunathpora Udhampur.