In what could have been dismissed
off as yet another incidence of familiar insolence of bus conductors, a specific
situation in Adyar escalated to hospitalization of a 30 year old male. The
shocking story yet again brings to light the appalling behaviour of the bus
conductors towards the public.
After being denied the 2 rupees
he was entitled to, on a 8 rupee ticket after handing out last 10 in his pocket,
Shiva( name changed from Chandru to protect identity), already tired after his journey to Adyar from
Guindy, couldn't believe his luck when all he had in his pocket was a 500 to
catch the ’connect’ to Thiruvanmiyur. Peaceable by nature and not wanting to
create a scene, he decided to procure the appropriate denominations before
boarding.
As luck would have it, the
hapless traveler was forced to go from shop to shop in the mid day Sunday sun.
Denied, depressed, defeated, dehydrated and derided by daft denizens, he was
left for dead, drooling....
A Good Samaritan found him around 2 pm. near Jaynthi theatre,
unconscious. Doctors say that he must have been walking for at least an hour before dropping on the road. He had on him 2 50s and 4 100s. Shiva, The fearless, had almost won. He had dropped down fighting his last battle, procuring the 5 10s for his 50 near Thiruvanmiyur.. so
near (Thiruvanmiyur) yet so far (presently, Malar hospitals, Adyar)..
********
A: Welcome to Discussion At 9:01,
this is your favorite news channel and today we have taken up the issue that
has touched our collective conscience. As usual we have 9 people of high repute
joining us with 9 bored experts in the studio who had nothing better to do… we
have a total of 18 with us and I’m your anchor A. A member nominated by the govt.( high ranking civil servant, as per govt. norms) couldn't join us today...
A: This is your favorite news channel…. Let me intro....
**MR, ARBIT BEFORE YOU START I’D
LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A DISGRACE TO OUR CITY, STATE AND NATION. THE ROOTS OF
THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE WIDE SPREAD CORRUPTION IN THE SERVICES. THIS HAS TO BE
ERADICATED. SEVERE PUNISHENT SHOULD BE METED OUT TO THE DIVER AND CONDUCTOR RESPONSIBLE
FOR THIS… THIS IS A RAREST OF RAREST CASE AND THEY SHOULD BE MADE AN EXAMPLE...
A: Ms Be.…
**WHY WASN'T AN FIR LODGED AGAINST THE CONDUCTOR. THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR SON, YOUR BROTHER, YOUR HUSBAND. WHY ARE THEY LET FREE?? SHOULDN'T THE CITIZENS HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN…
A: Mr. Ramakrishnan, AAAAAAA Mr. Ramakrishnan, AAAAA one moment ma'am, AAAAA Mr. Ramakrishnan... can we,AAAA can we,AAAA can we have a legislation to file an fir for such cases??AAAAAAA can we have the traffic police take more active role in such circumstances…
**WE SHOULD HAVE MORE FAST TRACK COURTS AND THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS TOO SLOW TO TACKLE THESE CASES…
A: do we have provisions in the judiciary to handle these cases…
**Mr. Arbit, there is no provision as of now, but the growth in the number of such incidents prompt me to think maybe we need a solid legislation to tackle these violations.
**THE GATES ARE CLOSED PRECISELY WHEN THE BUS STOPS IN THE SIGNALS, HARASSING PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET DOWN….
A: Mr. Pallavan what do you have to say about this?
**First of all, at the outset, I’d like to convey my greetings with great pleasure to all and everyone and everything, with my heart...… I’m taking this opportunity to inform you that we are increasing our fleet shortly and these buses will be coloured duller than what it is already saving time on cleaning…. What happened today in Adyar was unfortunate, regarding which we have set up an executive committee which will submit a report after thorough investigation…. yes I think it is high time we changed the gates… gate gate hehehe :D oh sorry…
**the govt. needs to wake up to this.
**I wasn't sleeping, this is atrocious Mr. A, and he’s crossing the line….
**THEY ARE FUELING THE MALPRACTICES. THERE IS RAMPANT CORRUPTION IN THE COUNTRY AND THE PM SHOULD TAKE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STEP DOWN…
A: Should the traffic police take up this additional responsibility??
** whaa ? What responsibility?
**THE TRAFFIC POLICE ARE RESPONSIBLE THEY ARE UPRIGHT CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY
**hehehe :D
** we traffic police personal stand in the sun doing nothing , our pay is very less and we overwork and are victims of road rages. We have to salute every VIP and are cursed by everyone whenever something goes wrong.
A: there you have it, the unsung heroes of our city, the money they get is very less compared to the work they are expected to do. Yet they do so, with an aviator on their eyes and a whistle on their lips…
** Yes we do….
**there is a good charge he will be discharged by tomorrow evening. He is responding well to the treatment… he had lost some fluids that had led to *medical jargon that sounded like skeptic seema, Ulysses etc.*
A: We have to stop here…we have come to the end of this show...
How many more people need to die before the conductors start handing out change…? Are we going to take this lying down? As per the survey conducted by your news channel, randomly, a few minutes back, one in every 1.2345 people are cheated out of their change; many among them are women and children...
The two rupees, the one rupee and
the fifty paises are taking its toll on the already delicate budgets of the
middle class household (aka aam admi)....
Will this bus gate close??
********
******Later in the day
A: Earlier today, one of our correspondents managed to get a word on this from an eminent authority… This and more on the other side of the break,
Welcome back, this is an exclusive telecast and you are watching this on your favorite news channel.
Mr. Raghu : The central issue of
concern, the lack of ‘change’ among the conductors is not a localized problem.
It is widely prevalent all over India. This can’t be solved overnight with a
wave of a magic wand. In the time of economic slowdown and rising prices,
the demand for 50p 1 re or 2 rs coins have dropped. As a temporary measure,
I've recommended to the government to inject 1 re and 50 paise coins to improve
liquidity. Travelers will able to breathe l easier in a few months. I have also
set the ball rolling to gradually phase out tickets that are fractions of ten
in public transport. The extra cost borne by the passengers would be offset by
the time and energy saved haggling.
I’d also take this opportunity to
wish Shiva a speedy recovery. We are proud of you.
A: Thank you. So there we have, viewers out charismatic governor assuring us that things are going to be alright. The news has just come in that the Prime minister has offered Rs 1000 relief for all the hardships endured by Mr. Shiva. A relief of rs 500 has also been sanctioned to every member in his family. Close relatives have been sanctioned rs 100 and distant cousins are entitled to 50rs. Good news is that they will be handed out in denominations of rs 5,10 and 50.
This is all for today, we end the
day with an important lesson,
Be the change you want to see….
We salute Shiva for showing us the
way. Good night, Jai hind.
********
No comments:
Post a Comment