Whats this crap about SEZs? I find the concept of "Special Economic Zones" abhorrent. It betrays an elitist mentality. First, the people who have lived in these designated zones for generations are suddenly non-grata and kicked out for no fault of theirs. And then there is this pseudo first world country enclave that comes on later.
I don't understand the concept. The US or for that matter, most countries of Europe don't have any such "special economic zones". All factories, production plants, etc, are all distributed throughout the countries. And when a factory comes up, its not like the local population gets kicked out of their homesteads. In fact, such job centres try to include the local populations and it is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both.
If the US and the advanced countries had managed to do it in an inclusive manner, then why couldn't India manage that? In spite of all the Gandhian talk of "the heart of India lies in its villages" and the usual rhetoric we hear, it seems like the village dwellers are ultimately given the short shrift.
Now the argument might be made that we cannot locate factories and job centres at arbitrary locations because we don't have infrastructure. In other words, special economic zones can concentrate production in a small area and therefore would make infrastructure easier.
I find this argument specious. Isn't it the job of the government to provide infrastructure to everyone in the first place? Since the government has slacked off on this basic responsibility in 60 years of democracy, now it wants to grab some land and make up for it by kicking out its residents?
The US and European countries did this and any factory/economic centre didn't need to be set up inside any specially demarcated "zone" to get the basic infrastructure. In fact, since the governments were expected to provide good roads, power, water everywhere, it was easy for industries to come up according to the one elastic parameter, labour. The governments didn't treat any parts more special than the others.
I was angered by what happened at Nandigram. I hope some of the key players in promoting these SEZs face the wrath of the displaced villagers (in whatever manner), and I think they fully deserve it.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Customer service in India
I find that customer service in India, especially that of big companies, leaves much to be desired.
For example, it took me a month to get an ICICI bank account opened. Although I ensured all forms and ID proof were submitted properly, the "processing" took 4 weeks. When I started to lose my patience and complain, the response was always like "Sorry sir, but our Mumbai back office hasn't gotten back to us yet. We would inquire with them, sir".
The designations of the employees in the banks are themselves amusing - everyone is an "executive", including the teller. And you don't just have a bank account - you have a "relationship" with the branch!
Then I applied for a Citibank credit card (since one or the other was always pestering me on the phone with a Citibank card offer). After completing the form and submitting it, I got "verification" calls, not once but 4 or 5 times! And for address proof, they sent someone to my door - twice! Then it took more than a month after that for my card to arrive (after I made several calls to find out what was going on). I got so frustrated that I have not used the card even once so far after some 2 years.
While at it, I feel amused by this concept of "permanent address" required on a lot of forms in India. When someone asked me what mine was, I gave him the address of my flat where I live and which I own. He then said "No sir, I am not asking for your residential address. I am asking for your permanent address sir". I was a bit confounded. "Hello, this is where I have been staying for a while and intend to stay, and as far as I am concerned this is my permanent address". Then he educated me, "No sir, I asked you for your parents' address. That is what we mean by permanent address". I was taken aback by this. I told him I am close to 40, and have a family of my own, and am not a kid who lived with his parents on a permanent basis. But that didn't wash with him. Of course there was no point in blaming him. It is the mindset in India where even after being married, one cannot oneself independent of one's parents. In the US, no one asks for your parent's address unless one is a minor, in opening a bank account or applying for a credit card. Here even after being married, everyone considers that your parents' place is where you truly belong! When we blatantly copy the US in other aspects (like mother's maiden name for security and so on), we cannot shake off this stupid concept of permanent address. At least call it by what it really is- "parental address" or something like that.
The worst customer service in my experience is that of Hutch. Hutch is an established cellular service provider in India. However, once when I visited Chennai, the roaming facility got deactivated for some reason. So I went to a Hutch outlet in Chennai. They said they cannot help since Hutch Bangalore is different. The only way to reach the Bangalore Hutch customer care was to dial the Bangalore number. But that wouldn't work since I didn't have roaming - so it was a chicken and egg situation. Then I had to call up the number from a land line. I was put on hold for more than 15 minutes, with a recorded message asking me to be patient. Then all of a sudden it said "Sorry, all customer executives are busy at this time. Please try later" and got disconnected. I became so enraged that I swear I would have taken it out on a Hutch employee if there had been one nearby. It was a waste of my time as well as money. If Hutch claims to provide superior customer service, is this the way to treat their customers? First, they don't even have a common national database. And on top of that, they disconnect the line AFTER the customer had spent 15 minutes on the call. Sure they could have informed that at the beginning of the call- the queue situation couldn't have changed so dramatically in 15 minutes. Idiots.
Everyone now talks of "retailing" in India. It seems to be the latest buzzword. Never mind the fact that all shops have been doing it for ages in India. Of course, they are not big players like Reliance, so even if you had bought provisions from them throughout your life, it doesn't count. "What really counts is when you buy it from us, in other words, we retail it to you", they would like you to believe.
But if my experience at shopping at the minor chains like Foodworld or Monday to Sunday in Bangalore are anything to go by, I am not so optimistic.
First of all, Foodworld outlets are overstaffed. A Foodworld store would have a dozen employees or so at any time, most of them doing nothing, other than gossiping. Yet there would be only 2 or 3 at the cash registers. In the US, a similar sized store would have maybe 3 or 4 employees at any given time. And the quality of the stuff they sell is third rate. For example, they sell vegetables in closed polythene bags, with no refrigeration. The vegetables rot in no time under such conditions. I have come across bags of even beans where there is visible fungus growth, something that I have never encountered when buying from the lowly vegetable vendor. Most Foodworld outlets are hot, with no AC, which causes perishables to get spoiled faster. In most Foodworld stores, the vegetable/dairy products area would always smell of a dead rat. The other pre-processed food stuff they sell is third rate - I have seen many times where the expiration date stamp is missing on the wrapping. So much for their quality control. Plus their inventory management is poor. Sometimes the stuff I need wouldn't be in stock for months. But they would be available at family run stores always. It seems that the small family-operated store can manage its inventory better than a large chain like Foodworld, which is contrary to what one would expect. Now RPG, which owns Foodworld, wants to get into retailing too! If so, God help us!
For example, it took me a month to get an ICICI bank account opened. Although I ensured all forms and ID proof were submitted properly, the "processing" took 4 weeks. When I started to lose my patience and complain, the response was always like "Sorry sir, but our Mumbai back office hasn't gotten back to us yet. We would inquire with them, sir".
The designations of the employees in the banks are themselves amusing - everyone is an "executive", including the teller. And you don't just have a bank account - you have a "relationship" with the branch!
Then I applied for a Citibank credit card (since one or the other was always pestering me on the phone with a Citibank card offer). After completing the form and submitting it, I got "verification" calls, not once but 4 or 5 times! And for address proof, they sent someone to my door - twice! Then it took more than a month after that for my card to arrive (after I made several calls to find out what was going on). I got so frustrated that I have not used the card even once so far after some 2 years.
While at it, I feel amused by this concept of "permanent address" required on a lot of forms in India. When someone asked me what mine was, I gave him the address of my flat where I live and which I own. He then said "No sir, I am not asking for your residential address. I am asking for your permanent address sir". I was a bit confounded. "Hello, this is where I have been staying for a while and intend to stay, and as far as I am concerned this is my permanent address". Then he educated me, "No sir, I asked you for your parents' address. That is what we mean by permanent address". I was taken aback by this. I told him I am close to 40, and have a family of my own, and am not a kid who lived with his parents on a permanent basis. But that didn't wash with him. Of course there was no point in blaming him. It is the mindset in India where even after being married, one cannot oneself independent of one's parents. In the US, no one asks for your parent's address unless one is a minor, in opening a bank account or applying for a credit card. Here even after being married, everyone considers that your parents' place is where you truly belong! When we blatantly copy the US in other aspects (like mother's maiden name for security and so on), we cannot shake off this stupid concept of permanent address. At least call it by what it really is- "parental address" or something like that.
The worst customer service in my experience is that of Hutch. Hutch is an established cellular service provider in India. However, once when I visited Chennai, the roaming facility got deactivated for some reason. So I went to a Hutch outlet in Chennai. They said they cannot help since Hutch Bangalore is different. The only way to reach the Bangalore Hutch customer care was to dial the Bangalore number. But that wouldn't work since I didn't have roaming - so it was a chicken and egg situation. Then I had to call up the number from a land line. I was put on hold for more than 15 minutes, with a recorded message asking me to be patient. Then all of a sudden it said "Sorry, all customer executives are busy at this time. Please try later" and got disconnected. I became so enraged that I swear I would have taken it out on a Hutch employee if there had been one nearby. It was a waste of my time as well as money. If Hutch claims to provide superior customer service, is this the way to treat their customers? First, they don't even have a common national database. And on top of that, they disconnect the line AFTER the customer had spent 15 minutes on the call. Sure they could have informed that at the beginning of the call- the queue situation couldn't have changed so dramatically in 15 minutes. Idiots.
Everyone now talks of "retailing" in India. It seems to be the latest buzzword. Never mind the fact that all shops have been doing it for ages in India. Of course, they are not big players like Reliance, so even if you had bought provisions from them throughout your life, it doesn't count. "What really counts is when you buy it from us, in other words, we retail it to you", they would like you to believe.
But if my experience at shopping at the minor chains like Foodworld or Monday to Sunday in Bangalore are anything to go by, I am not so optimistic.
First of all, Foodworld outlets are overstaffed. A Foodworld store would have a dozen employees or so at any time, most of them doing nothing, other than gossiping. Yet there would be only 2 or 3 at the cash registers. In the US, a similar sized store would have maybe 3 or 4 employees at any given time. And the quality of the stuff they sell is third rate. For example, they sell vegetables in closed polythene bags, with no refrigeration. The vegetables rot in no time under such conditions. I have come across bags of even beans where there is visible fungus growth, something that I have never encountered when buying from the lowly vegetable vendor. Most Foodworld outlets are hot, with no AC, which causes perishables to get spoiled faster. In most Foodworld stores, the vegetable/dairy products area would always smell of a dead rat. The other pre-processed food stuff they sell is third rate - I have seen many times where the expiration date stamp is missing on the wrapping. So much for their quality control. Plus their inventory management is poor. Sometimes the stuff I need wouldn't be in stock for months. But they would be available at family run stores always. It seems that the small family-operated store can manage its inventory better than a large chain like Foodworld, which is contrary to what one would expect. Now RPG, which owns Foodworld, wants to get into retailing too! If so, God help us!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Holi, bhang, and the NDPS Act
I have never been a big fan of Holi. Being a south Indian, I don't understand whats the big deal in soiling your clothes and your face and body (I use the term "temporary chromatic mutilation"). Perhaps its a mental block, one may say..
But what piques my interest in the affair is the free availability of bhang at most Holi venues. In the big apartment complex where I stay in Bangalore, there was a Holi dinner celebration two days ago, and bhang lassi was "officially" catered, courtesy of the association. I am sure the same was true of a lot of other Holi parties, in Bangalore as well as elsewhere in India.
In that festive mood, it is easy for everyone to forget that there is something known as the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in India. Few Indians realise how powerful this act is, with potential for abuse. For example, someone arrested under this act is presumed guilty until proven innocent, which is against normal jurisprudence. Bail can be granted only after a court hearing. Given the Indian judicial system, this can take a few months to many years.
Normally, during Holi, the police do not make any arrests even knowing that a particular place serves bhang, since it is well understood that it is part of the tradition, and a significant portion of the population enjoys it.
But then, nothing, I repeat, nothing prevents the police from making arrests and throwing everyone at a Holi party into jail for a good measure of time. But why would the police do this? Simple. As I mentioned before, the NDPS act is open to abuse. Imagine a politician who wants to get even with his rival or someone else. If the rival is a north Indian who participates in Holi, all he needs to do is set him up for an arrest during the festivities (where people consume bhang openly). In that case, others at the party will also get arrested as unavoidable collateral damage.
You may ask, "But wouldn't a judge throw out the case? I mean, many Indians consume bhang during Holi, and I am sure the judge wouldn't risk his own standing by convicting someone of consuming bhang during Holi. That would be like opening a can of worms." Yes, you are right there, but then that's besides the point. For a judge to throw out the case at the very first hearing, the "very first hearing" has to take place first. And that could be years after the arrest. And till then, no bail, because that's what the act says!
It is rather surprising that most of us are complacent about this, and do not realise that we walk a minefield when we consume bhang in public during Holi. If you think that the NDPS Act has never been abused actually, think again. In Tamil Nadu, the NDPS Act has been invoked against a lot of political enemies of Jayalalitha after their household/belongings were deliberately planted with ganja (by connivers in the police force). And because of what the act says, even the police cannot grant them bail. Plus a lot of innocent people have languished in jail indefinitely for no fault of theirs.
But since we are Indians, we are the usual complacent lot. If consumption of bhang is so widespread during Holi, and also in parts of Rajasthan throughout the year, we should question why this act exists in its present form in the first place. At least it should be amended so that people booked can be granted bail immediately. Also instead of being a blanket act that doesn't discriminate between ganja and ecstasy, it should have separate clauses for dealing with different types of substances, keeping culture into account.
Otherwise, if you spend years in jail following a Holi celebration, don't be surprised too much.
But what piques my interest in the affair is the free availability of bhang at most Holi venues. In the big apartment complex where I stay in Bangalore, there was a Holi dinner celebration two days ago, and bhang lassi was "officially" catered, courtesy of the association. I am sure the same was true of a lot of other Holi parties, in Bangalore as well as elsewhere in India.
In that festive mood, it is easy for everyone to forget that there is something known as the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in India. Few Indians realise how powerful this act is, with potential for abuse. For example, someone arrested under this act is presumed guilty until proven innocent, which is against normal jurisprudence. Bail can be granted only after a court hearing. Given the Indian judicial system, this can take a few months to many years.
Normally, during Holi, the police do not make any arrests even knowing that a particular place serves bhang, since it is well understood that it is part of the tradition, and a significant portion of the population enjoys it.
But then, nothing, I repeat, nothing prevents the police from making arrests and throwing everyone at a Holi party into jail for a good measure of time. But why would the police do this? Simple. As I mentioned before, the NDPS act is open to abuse. Imagine a politician who wants to get even with his rival or someone else. If the rival is a north Indian who participates in Holi, all he needs to do is set him up for an arrest during the festivities (where people consume bhang openly). In that case, others at the party will also get arrested as unavoidable collateral damage.
You may ask, "But wouldn't a judge throw out the case? I mean, many Indians consume bhang during Holi, and I am sure the judge wouldn't risk his own standing by convicting someone of consuming bhang during Holi. That would be like opening a can of worms." Yes, you are right there, but then that's besides the point. For a judge to throw out the case at the very first hearing, the "very first hearing" has to take place first. And that could be years after the arrest. And till then, no bail, because that's what the act says!
It is rather surprising that most of us are complacent about this, and do not realise that we walk a minefield when we consume bhang in public during Holi. If you think that the NDPS Act has never been abused actually, think again. In Tamil Nadu, the NDPS Act has been invoked against a lot of political enemies of Jayalalitha after their household/belongings were deliberately planted with ganja (by connivers in the police force). And because of what the act says, even the police cannot grant them bail. Plus a lot of innocent people have languished in jail indefinitely for no fault of theirs.
But since we are Indians, we are the usual complacent lot. If consumption of bhang is so widespread during Holi, and also in parts of Rajasthan throughout the year, we should question why this act exists in its present form in the first place. At least it should be amended so that people booked can be granted bail immediately. Also instead of being a blanket act that doesn't discriminate between ganja and ecstasy, it should have separate clauses for dealing with different types of substances, keeping culture into account.
Otherwise, if you spend years in jail following a Holi celebration, don't be surprised too much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)