By: Er Ashraf Fazili
‘Chai’ has become so much associated with our day-to-day life that it has become almost impossible to live without it.
It starts with our birth. The day a child is born in a hospital, the staff around ask for CHAI for the safe delivery of the baby. Our morning starts with CHAI, some like bed-tea and then with breakfast and many rounds of tea when a guest visits us or whether we are working in an office or any other establishment. Many prefer to go to restaurants for a cup of tea after the office hours. When a brick supplier delivers a truck of bricks costing thousands of rupees, he asks for CHAI, even if he be the owner of the kiln himself.
Similarly, when you get a machine like refrigerator, washing machine, air-conditioner, etc. installed costing thousands, the mechanic though paid by the shopkeeper as the installation charges are covered in the bill, still demands a CHAI from the customer. If one has to pursue a personal file in any of the office, unless the CHAI is paid, the file may get lost never to be found again.
Once a Minister of PDD told in a seminar, where I too was present, that for locating an important misplaced file bearing agreement with NHPCC, he had to pay Rs. 300/- to a clerk to locate the file.
The height of things is that a file of PIL against the conversion of the Convent motorable bridge to foot bridge too has been misplaced in High Court as reported by the concerned advocate. In this case the Hon’ble Chief
Justice was convinced that the decking of the bridge should be made motorable.
Recently, the state-owned Internet service provider installed a fibre connection at a place after pursuing for about a month even when the payment was made in advance, that too was made possible, when the matter was taken up with the highest authority, who too expressed their helplessness, saying the contract has been sublet to a private agency, who seem to behave very arrogantly.
However, after installation, the installers demanded CHAI for having done a favour of installation of the fibre connection. To add to the misery no receipt of the amount of about Rs. 6,500/- has been delivered to the customer. They seem to have overcharged by Rs. 3000/- as CHAI, as the cost of set-of-box is reported to be Rs. 3,500/- only including the installation. There is no response to the complaints made till date.
Now having got disgusted with a state-owned Internet service provider service, the customer approached a popular private service provider of the richest man in India as they have good a reputation as regards their services. It is over a week that they too have been playing hide and seek, when they have received the payment in advance. It appears that the departments have
taken people for a ride and there is no one to hear our woes.
Only God can save us.