Take stern action against hawkers
The hawkers menace in Mumbai and its suburbs is getting from bad to worse. Majority of these hawkers sitting on the roadside do not even have a license to sell their products. The concerned authorities should take a stern action against them as they are a nuisances to the public.
Jubel D’Cruz
Congress has lost a hardworking leader
It was stunning to hear that Sheila Dikshit the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi passed away. She was unparalleled personality and great daughter of the country specially for the Congress who worked for the development of Delhi in her tenure.
There is no room for doubt that she will be remembered forever because of her copybook services for the upliftment of Delhi and Congress party.
I would like to extend my deepest condolences with all the well wishes and heartfelt sympathies to her family members and Congress.
Mohd Azim
Temporary reprieve for Kulbhushan Jadhav
Pakistan is a terrorist nation and they have scant respect for laws in their land even if diktats come from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ has asked Pakistan to review death sentence on Jadhav which they feel is a victory for them as Kulbhushan remains in their possession and mere review doesn’t guarantee his safety and release. A nation where ‘adalats’ are even bad than ‘anadi courts’, it just seems a temporary relief for Kulbhushan Jadhav and India will have to explore other options for his release.
Sportsman Imran Khan as PM does give some hope as his good office did release Abhinandan a few months back. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak directly with his counterpart and can even ask cricketers like Gavaskar or Kapil Dev who are on good terms with Imran Khan to pressurize the Pakistan PM to release Jadhav. It would also be a good opportunity for Imran Khan to begin peace talks with India with this gesture as freeing Jadhav would certainly create good will.
S.N. Kabra
No Bill-No Payment drive
The Hon’ble Ministry of Railways are now adopting smart ways to ease passenger burden and avoid confusion while buying food on trains and at railway premises. Social media platforms are now abuzz with extensive awareness campaign on the recently introduced ‘No Bill- No Payment’ drive under its catering policy. Through such effective campaigns passengers are now made aware of their consumer rights to demand bills for food purchased at railway stations and on board trains.
Further Indian Railways should now strive to find an innovative way to sell food on train and thus help passengers get away with the nuisance of cash shortage and unnecessary tips menace especially on premium trains. A possible study to understand the system of consumer food purchase mechanism as followed across other railway networks globally may perhaps be a value addition to the Hon’ble Ministry and may help to enhance the quality of food served on trains in India.
Also better innovation through smart card based food purchase system and enhancing the existing rail food app based booking features to be user friendly is essential to be looked into by the Railways. Nevertheless quality of food served and excellent and hygienic method of food packing system thus forms an important aspect otherwise to the passengers who pay to buy food.
Varun Dambal
Start one-time toll tax on purchase of new vehicles
It refers to Union Ministry of Road Transport considering idea of reducing number of cash-lanes at toll-plazas to encourage digital-mode of payment to pay toll-tax. But it will create problems for casual users of highways. Multiple number of toll-plazas at expressways and highways cause unnecessary hindrance in otherwise smooth fast traffic. Many unauthorised toll-plazas have also been set up in connivance with local politicians and police for unauthorizedly looting unaware public.
Best step is to replace toll-system by charging one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles like system exists for charging one-time road-tax on purchase of new vehicles. All concerned including vehicle-users and transport-authorities welcomed system of one-time payment of road-tax avoiding cumbersome procedure of paying and collecting road-tax.
Amount collected through one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles can then be utilised for developing and maintaining highways without necessitating toll-plazas as big hurdles causing queues at toll-plazas. One-time toll-tax can be fixed according to ex-showroom price of new vehicles so that people having costly cars may have to contribute more than those purchasing economy cars. People paying extra clubbed with cost of new vehicle will never mind because of facility of toll-free movement in future.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
