If you have been bugged with telemarketers calling you up to offer you free loans, credit cards, and numerous other such ‘tantalizing’ offers, then help is coming your way. The Indian telecom regulator (TRAI) has started the process of offering a way out for citizens. There is a proposed Do Not Call (DNC) registry that will be put in operation on April 1 (and no, I am not trying to fool you on April Fool’s day).
So people have to just inform their cellular operators of their wish to enter their names in the Do Not Call registry (along with exceptions; example, a person can continue to receive calls for home loans and nothing else), and it is the responsibility of the operator to enter their name in the registry. Further, there is no expense in this, since the cost of maintaining such a registry will be borne by the operators.
More details are available in this ET report.

In a unique arrangement, customers who enroll for the DNC registry can opt for a blanket ban on all telemarketing calls or can select the kind of calls they wish to receive. For instance, a member of this registry can opt to receive only telemarketing calls related to home loans or FMCG products. Trai, in its guidelines on the DNC registry, will specify that subscribers will only have to inform their service provider to enroll. It will then be the operators’ responsibility to register these subscribers’ numbers in a central DNC registry that will be maintained by an independent agency, Trai sources told ET. The guidelines will be made public next month.

The regulator cannot implement penalties, so if you wanted to penalize a particularly persistent credit card applicant, this is still not possible. However, it seems possible that it could be made more difficult by dis-connecting the number of the offender.
This measure will go a long way in making the life of the consumer better, and even if a bit late, is still a very good measure. Now the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we need to wait to see how good the implementation of the measure is.

I wonder how much a major bank checks its system ? I have an account with ABN AMRO India, and normally am able to access my account online without a problem. However, for the past few days, I have not been able to access this account. Calling the call center is a matter of luck, I just don’t have the patience to wait the number of minutes it takes to get through to a support executive. If however, it does not work for some time more, then I may have to bite the bullet and try calling.
What surprised me was that nobody from the bank is checking that the login system is not working.

How would you like to receive multiple SMS a day promoting ICICI Prudential for a contest ? Not something that you would truly treasure, right ? In fact, some might argue that this can be downright irritating and make a person really angry.
I kid you not. I got multiple SMS today about some contest happening, and the SMS were to encourage me to go visit a site and vote for ICICI Prudential. The first time I was somewhat amused, but after that it got really irritating.

For anybody who has lived in Delhi, the world of Delhi and New Delhi seem totally different. New Delhi is the part where everything is well planned, roads always seem to be good, mostly babus, politicians and rich people live with plentiful supply of power and water. Delhi is everything else. New Delhi is maintained by the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Corporation) and Delhi is maintained by the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi).
If anything is said about things in Delhi being shoddy, dirt being not cleaned up and sewers left rotting, it can be sure that this is in an area handled by the MCD. The NDMC, on the other hand, is flush with funds and supposed to be better managed. Residents of Delhi of course do not appreciate the functioning of either of the two corporations and condemn them for essentially non-working.
Why all this big preamble? Well, the NDMC has been hit by a judgement that could become a much quoted judgement in the area of responsibility fixing and ensuring that non-functioning babus cannot hide or shirk work. If this can happen to the NDMC, MCD officials might as well start looking for a secondary source to start paying all the fines that will start coming against them.

NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at saving the city’s greens from being ravaged, the State Consumer Commission has slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh on the NDMC for allowing marriages and events in Talkatora Garden a popular tourist hub next to the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In response to a plea filed by a group of morning walkers who visit the garden, the commission said Rs 5 lakh, out of the fine amount, will be recovered from salaries of the NDMC chairman and the director (horticulture).
Both of them will be liable to pay Rs 2.5 lakh each, the commission said in a bid to make this as “an exemplary case and eye-opener” for sloth officials of other civic agencies including MCD and DDA.

Making top offices accountable for the work (or non-work/wrong work) that happens in their department (even when it is brought to their notice) is not something that this country normally sees. If such a judgement manages to scare a few other officials in other departments to make sure that things are working, then it will all be worth it. At the least, it should shake up the babus to shed their arrogance (too hopeful?) towards the rights of the general public.
There are many caveats to being hopeful - this judgement will undoubtedly pass through the court system and may be reduced or struck down, but this is a still a good sign. It means that citizens are becoming more aware of their rights, are not willing to quietly accept the misdeeds of government and know how to make their opposition felt. A good sign indeed.