समय की पाबन्दी!! यह क्या चीज है?

बचपन में पढ़ा था - समय बहुत बलबान है, समय किसी के लिए नहीं रुकता, जो समय के साथ नहीं चलते पिछढ़ जाते हैं. जीवन के हर पड़ाव पर यह अनुभव भी होता गया. शिक्षा पूरी होने पर मैनेजमेंट से संबंधित व्यवसाय ही चुना. टाइम मैनेजमेंट एक मुख्य विषय रहा. पर भारत सरकार के रेल मंत्रालय की नजर में समय का कोई महत्त्व नहीं है. कितने बजटों की नौटंकी देखी है मैंने. किसी बजट में किसी रेल मंत्री ने समय की पाबन्दी की कोई बात नहीं की. रेल कब छूटती है और कब पहुँचती है यह बात कभी किसी मंत्री के ध्यान में ही नहीं रही. पिछले दिनों मैंने एक ब्लाग पोस्ट लिखी थी कि रेलों के लेट पहुँचने से कितने समय की बबादी होती है? अगर आप रेलों के देर से पहुँचने के कारण बरबाद हुए समय की गणना करें तो दंग रह जायेंगें. मेरे विचार में यह एक बहुत बड़ा अपराध है और इसके लिए रेल मंत्रालय की जितनी भर्त्सना की जाए कम होगी.

आज के अखबार में एक समाचार है - लालूजी सिंगापुर जाकर वहाँ के मैनेजमेंट स्टूडेंट्स को भारतीय रेल की महान सफलताओं के बारे में बतायेंगें. लेकिन रेलों के देर से चलने से देश को कितनी आर्थिक हानि हुई है इसका जिक्र वह नहीं करेंगे. जितना फायदा लालूजी दिखायेंगे वह उस नुकसान से बहुत कम होगा जो उन्होंने देश को पहुँचाया है. अगर हम उनसे इस बारे में बात करें तो मुझे विश्वास है कि उनका जवाब होगा - ""यदि आप समय पर अपने गंतव्य पर पहुँचना चाहते हैं तब भारतीय रेल से यात्रा न करें. समय की हमारे लिए कोई कीमत नहीं है".

पिछले सप्ताह मैं उड़ीसा में झरसागुडा गया था. दिल्ली से कोलकाता तक हवाई यात्रा और वहाँ से रेल. हावड़ा-अहमदाबाद एक्सप्रेस का छूटने का समय है ११.५५, पर यह ट्रेन १२.३० पर पलेटफ़ामॅ पर लगाई गई. गर्मी से बुरा हाल हो गया. आधा घंटा ट्रेन लेट चली और दो घंटा देर से पहुँची. जिस कार्य के लिए मैं गया था वह देर से शुरू हो पाया. इक्कीस लोग मेरे देर से पहुँचने से परेशान हुए. और इस सबके लिए कौन जिम्मेदार था, लालूजी और उनका मंत्रालय.

वापसी में मेरा रिज़र्वेशन आज़ाद हिंद एक्सप्रेस में था. यह ट्रेन लगभग दो घंटा बिलंब से आई. रास्ते में और बिलंब हुआ और यह ट्रेन ०८.३२ पर हावड़ा पहुँची. इसका सही समय है ०३५०. कोलकाता से मुझे ०८.२० की फ्लाईट लेनी थी पर वह मिस हो गई. टिकट बेकार गया. ११.३५ की फ्लाईट से नया टिकट लेना पड़ा. लालूजी के कारण मुझे ४५०० रुपए का नुकसान हुआ. देर से दिल्ली पहुँचा. घर वाले बहुत परेशान हुए. देवी माँ की कृपा से अगली फ्लाईट में जगह मिल गई वरना न जाने कितनी परेशानी उठानी पड़ती. इस सबके लिए कौन जिम्मेदार था, लालूजी और उनका मंत्रालय. पर लालूजी को तो हार पहनाये जा रहे हैं.

किसे चिंता है ग्राहक की?

शुद्ध जल पूर्ति का जन अधिकार

जल जीवन है, जल का संचय जीवन संचय, जल का छय है जीवन का छय ।

दिल्ली जल बोर्ड की जिम्मेद्दारी है दिल्ली निवासिओं को सुरक्षित और पूरी मात्रा मैं पीने योग्य जल सप्लाई करना. इस काम मैं बोर्ड हमेशा नाकामयाब रहा है. अभी केंद्रीय सरकार ने भी माना है की दिल्ली मैं सप्लाई किया जा रहा पानी सब-स्टैंडर्ड है. लेकिन एक सरकारी मंत्री के अनुसार सरकार के पास पानी पर टैक्स लगाने के अलाबा पानी की गुणवत्ता सुधारने की या तो कोई काबलियत नहीं है या उस का ऐसा कोई इरादा नहीं है. दिल्ली की मुख्य मंत्री को तो अखवार मैं अपने फोटो छपबाने से ही फुरसत नहीं मिलती. आज के अखबार मैं भी, जनता के पैसे से छपबाये गए, कई ऐसे विज्ञापन हैं जिन मैं उनका फोटो छापा गया है.

भारतीय मानक ब्यूरो ने सुरक्षित पीने योग्य पानी का मानक बना रखा है पर दिल्ली जल बोर्ड मैं समय-समय पर शायद पानी की टेस्टिंग करबाने का कोई सिस्टम नहीं है. इस मानक का नुम्बर है - आई एस १०५०० - और इस मानक मैं पानी के बहुत सारे टेस्ट दिए गए हैं. यदि इस मानक के अनुसार पानी समय-समय पर टेस्ट करबाया जाए और कोई कमी पाए जाने पर उचित कार्यवाही की जाए तब दिल्ली के निवासी शुद्ध पानी पी सकेंगे और अनेक वीमारिओं से छुटकारा पा सकेंगे.

१५ मार्च, विश्व उपभोक्ता अधिकार दिवस के रूप में मनाया जाता है. इस वर्ष भी मनाया गया। सरकार ने विज्ञापन छापे और अपने कर्तव्य की इतिश्री की। क्या दिल्ली जल बोर्ड और दिल्ली सरकार अपने उपभोक्ताओं के शुद्ध जल की आपूर्ति के अधिकार का हनन बंद करेगी?

Safety in hospitals

People go to hospitals to get well. If they get well then their good luck should get more credit than the efforts of doctors and hospital administration & staff. We have been hearing stories about wrong treatment and delayed treatment.But now there are news about safety also. A prematurely-born five day old girl was charred to death as the warmer, in which she was being treated for jaundice, was not safe. I short circuit in the warmer sparked a fire. This bizarre incident happened in Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital in Pitampura in New Delhi on Wednesday. The hospital is run by Delhi Government, whose CM and Health Minister keep busy in getting their photos published in advertisements financed by public money.

Timely warnings by the mother of the girl were not taken seriously by the staff. Even after they rushed to the scene, they did not try to save he girl, but were only busy in dowsing the fire. Lack of safety in appliances used in the hospitals has become a cause for a death.

Another death due to short circuit in phototherapy machine was caused in Shardaben General Hospital in Ahmedabad, where a three year old baby was being treated.

Is Prime Minister a customer?

I am an ordinary customer. No product or service provider bothers about me. I face un-scheduled, un-announced long power cuts. Due to these power cuts, I get no water. This spoils my day. The routine in my household goes haywire.

I wonder whether Prime Minister also faces these problems. Is he a customer like me and suffers like me? Or service providers consider serving him a privilege? Is Sonia Gandhi or any other VIP treated like an ordinary customer and made to suffer like me?

It is said that India is a democracy. It is also said that in a democracy all are equal. But it is not true in Indian democracy. Will a day come in Indian democracy, when Prime Minister will also suffer due to long power & water cuts like me?

Bring love back in our lives

In 2007 we have seen love loosing to hate, peace loosing to violence. We should stop and ponder. Are we going to allow this to continue or we should do something to reverse the trend?

If we want that in year 2008, love should emerge victorious over hate and peace over violence then we need to bring love back in to our lives. My friends wonder where the love has gone. I wonder too. Has love really gone out of our lives or it is still there within our hearts but has been covered by greed which brought hate and violence to the front? Whatever is the situaion we should re-discover love. Without love we cease to be human beings.

Every year people make new resolutions. I also do. Last year I made a resolution to develop positive attitude towards life and people. I succeeded to some extent. I continue with this resolution for year 2008 also.

This year I make a new resolution to bring love back in our lives. Let love be victorious on hate. Let peace be victorious on violence.

I have many wishes too (list is very long. Here are some):

No deaths under blue line buses.

No killings of senior citizens.

No child abuse.

No violence against women.

No road rage.

No police brutality on innocent citizens.

No exploitation of and discrimination against any citizen.

No customer harassment.

No terror killings.

No photos of ministers on public ads.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

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To hell with law, tell me how many votes!

"Madam, should we make the law for satisfying the ego of an individual? Should we allow the law making process to settle personal scores? Should we misuse law making powers to make laws which favour us personally? I am very much confused. Please guide me." The Prime Minister was really upset. Madam looked at him with pity. She smiled and said, "you are still showing some signs of being a gentleman inspite of being in politics for so many years. I sometime get disturbed by these ethical attacks on your conscience. But you are my best bet. If there was one slightly like you I would sent you out. Now will you please shut up and let me plan my strategy to keep my votes together and intact? I am in power and I want to remain in power. I can not annoy these votes. So to hell with the law. Tell me how many votes will be saved by killing a medical institution?"

This is my loud thinking. I am not sure but some similar discussion might be going on inside VVVIP bunglaws. I see only the result. All the votes (forgive me for referring to these born humans as votes) again joined hands and changed the law so that one individual 'R' can throw another individual 'V' out of the medical institution. 'V' is of no use for them, but 'R' holds votes which are essential for keeping the power equation intact. They call it coalition politics. Some even say it is coalition (A)dharma. The (A) has ben added by me. Some of the principles of this coalition (A)dharma are, lies, dishonesty, hypocrisy, violence, back-stabbing, characterlessness.

People look at this institution as a temple where they, when fall ill, go to get well. But those who run the temples are running after each other with daggers in their hands. Pray to God to keep you fit. But if still you fall ill then do not go this temple. Find another temple where the keepers do not fight in open and you can expect some care. Votes should make another law, reserve this institution for votes, their families, their relatives.

Certifying quality of hospital services

Last week I visited a hospital to see one of our relatives who had undergone heart by-pass surgery. The hospital introduces itself on its website as - " With over 7000 beds in 44 hospitals, a string of nursing and hospital management colleges and dual lifelines of pharmacies and diagnostic clinics providing a safety net across Asia, ......... is a healthcare powerhouse you can trust with your life. At ........ we unite exceptional clinical success rates and superior technology with centuries-old traditions of Eastern care and warmth, as we truly believe the world is our extended family - something our 14 million patients from 55 countries can warmly affirm".

A very nice statement indeed. The hospital also claims to be the first accredited hospital by Joint Commission International for quality of its services.

Impressed by all this I took a round of the hospital (no doubt only those areas where a visiter was allowed). The real situation was not impressive. The housekeeping was very poor. Preventive maintenance of fire hydrant system was not done as per maintenance plan. Pigeons were freely roaming inside the visitor lounge. Pigeons droppings were everywhere, on walls, on floor, also on visitors' heads.

I wonder, what quality has been certified by JCI.

Paid sites, a new form of harassment

There is mushroom growth in number of paid websites on internet. There are many sites out there which promise emails worth the likes of $5, $50 or $100 and upwards. They never honour their promises. DO NOT join any of these sites. These are ridiculous attempts to take your money and you will never see a penny back.They keep a wall of secrecy between them and their customers. This secrecy goes to such absurd limits that customer even do not know who are the owners of these sites and to whom they should approach in case of a problem.

There are no doubts sites which pay once you reach the minimum payout. But these sites also play tricks on customers. I prestigious paid site, www.mylot.com, blocked my user ID just before I was reaching the minimum payout of $10. I have sent them many communications but they have not told me the reason. The problem is that there is no mention on the site about the owners of the site or Administrator or Webmaster.

People join these sites, spend their time and resources in the form of computer, internet connection, power bills, upgrade free membership by paying fees, and these sites cheat them.

Presently there is no body which can supervise the work of these sites. These sites are under no control. Some people, no doubt, are maintaining a list of scam sites, but that is only for information. Such list are growing with more and more sites are proving scam sites. Below is a link where you will find a list of scam sites. Refer to it before you sign any paid site. It will give you some protection.

LIST OF SCAM PAID SITES

Don't go out of Delhi or you will be taxed on your return

Last week I hired a DLY taxi for going to Greater Noida and return in the evening. Taxi is registered in Delhi. The harassment we had to face while entering UP is narrated in my earlier post. Now let me share what happened while returning to Delhi. Our Taxi was stopped at entry point in Delhi and we were asked to pay entry tax. I asked why as our taxi is registered in Delhi. He said so what. You can not enter Delhi without paying tax. It was another side of inefficient Delhi Govt.

I felt like being asked to pay tax to enter my house which I left to go to work in the morning.