The Petroleum Ministry has come out with a scheme to bail out oil companies called ‘Preferred time LPG delivery (PTLD) whereby a customer can get cooking gas refills out of turn jumping the normal queue at any time or day of the week of their choice at an additional charge of Rs.25 or Rs.50 per cylinder depending on the time and day despite the fact that the cost of LPG gas was revised recently along with petrol and diesel. This scheme has been envisaged keeping in view the urban households where both spouses are working with no one to receive the refill. Fine, but the scheme is open to gross misuse and nepotism. What is the guarantee that whosoever is opting for this are a working couple and not somebody else? Any body can pay the extra amount to get a refill out of turn leaving the common men in queue fuming whose waiting period may get extended by 2/3 weeks.
First it was ‘Tatkal’ scheme by Railways and Passport department to introduce such kind of out of turn premium service and now the Petroleum Ministry is setting a precedent for others to follow. No wonder, some day you may have to shell out extra premium for paying your Electricity, Water. Telephone bills to avoid the long serpentine queue. Just imagine you occupy a front row seat in a Bus without the hassles of buying a ticket at the counter because you have opted for ‘Out of Turn’ and the bus conductor will give you a service with a smile at your seat! There already exists a service called ‘Special Darshan’ in some temples down south for quick darshan of the lord! Even petitions/grievances in government departments will be attended on priority basis ‘out of turn’, all for a premium. How nice it would be!
There would be no end to such gimmicks. Does it not imply that the government is encouraging some people to jump the queue out of turn using the ‘back door, under the table method’ which has now the official tag? Is this the remedy to compensate few oil companies to recover their losses? If so, what is Government doing to compensate the entire masses of this country for their losses on account of enhanced taxes and soaring prices of all the essential commodities?
i personally feel that it is a new way to tax more on the consumers. Just that they have found a clever way of doing things. If you don't book on priority, it will take its own sweet time to arrive... so every one opts for it and there by make more money! indirectly a perfect way to say that you pay amount X more for the same!
ReplyDeleteIs it the Railways making money from Tatkal scheme prompting other arms of the government to adopt the same technique.
ReplyDeleteThe "Tatkal" scheme is a boon for many people which can again be subjected to use and misuse! In a country with such a huge population, this cannot be helped! With increase in population, these "Tatkal" schemes will find patronage!
Sir - In our glorious history of politics, I'd be emphatically right to say that the intended is one thing while the beneficiary is almost always another story!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog you have here!
sure is a fine way to make money for a service that should have been obligatory
ReplyDeletenah, basically they are affirming the fact that money talks
ReplyDelete