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R.Ranganathan M.Sc., [ MBA - IIMA]     Just some blunt, forthright views       on some subjects / outfits

  
     
 

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CERC and PIL
  

 

Note: Shri Manubhai Shah gained initial publicity in 1975 or so, for getting a stay order against increasing the fare from Bombay to Ahmedabad by Indian Airlines. In the next 30 years, CERC, which he managed, hardly did anything worthwhile for the Consumers, as I could notice as a resident of Ahmedabad. They never raised any major issue like Ms Sunita Narayan for the welfare of the consumers or the public

CERC however started getting more and more publicity over the years. Did the public or the Consumers benefit over the years ? I doubt. In 2001 or so, I was invited to visit their testing Laboratory. I was not impressed - it was just marginally better than a normal laboratory a B.Sc. or M.Sc. student will get in India - that they have spent Crores for that is a little difficult to digest. Shri Manubhai has been asked to step down in November 2006
 
 
 
 
Public Interest or Publicity Interest
 
     
  Outlook Magazine for week ending 31st October, 2005. Page 15  
   
  "Consumer rights activist Manubhai Shah's Consumer Education and Research Society of Ahmedabad has filed a PIL [ public interest litigation ] challenging the validity of  of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation polls held on October 13 due to charges of wide spread voter list tampering. Most interestingly, Shah and his family were absent from the voters' list, despite the fact that they have been staying at the same address for the past 25 years."  
     
  Consumer Education and Research Centre, CERC, Ahmedabad, has filed a petition against the IPO issue of GMR, as reported by Times of India, Ahmedabad on 27-7-2006. Looks like another Publicity Stunt !

Every person / Indian is a consumer for the basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter besides some more products be it a matchbox or soap. Less than 3% of the population is concerned with the Stock Market. And here is a Consumer Organisation taking up that issue to the forefront - and what they do for the benefit of the common man has not been reported by Times in the last 2 years.

  
     
 
If these be right reporting, I find it funny. It looks like a Publicity seeking litigation
  

 
 
 
Voter is not a consumer
 
     
  A voter is not a Consumer by any stretch of imagination. So even granting for a minute that the Electoral rolls have been wrongly made or had errors, it beats me as to why a Consumer Education Centre should fight that ? Should they not attend to Consumer related problems first ?   
   
  Granting that an injustice has been imposed upon some members of the public or their voting rights have been usurped for no fault of theirs, the case / matter could have been referred to forums that deal with Human Rights, Right to live and such others.   
     
 
A consumer forum getting into this matter looks odd - hypocritical by my experience 
  

 

Advertisement panels on site:  I do not endorse any other commercial skin / hair product as I do not even retail my own invention, Swapna, in this site. Effective 28th July 2008, I have gradually released this site  to Google to place their advertisements panels. This is to generate some revenue - if they do not clash with my views. These mechanically placed advertisements can be reviewed only after September 5, 2008

 

 
Questionable Stand - Pollution is not a Consumer / public matter,  but One man's Vote is ?
 
     
  In 1993 or around that, I referred a case of 'pollution' to CERC. I was clearly told that Pollution is not a matter of direct involvement for CERC, though it affects the Society. 

Why now, take up the matter of "voters' list and PIL" ? The intentions are suspect in my view.

  
   
  When I took up the matter directly with the higher officials at the Secretary level in Gandhinagar, they orally told me that as per Mr. Vagela's oral direction, no unit should get closed due to pollution complaint - and the executive wing of the Government meekly submitted to that. Which Forum / NGO took up the case of Pollution like the way Sunita Narain did for Pesticides content in Colas ? None.   
     
  Consumers plight in Ahmedabad: Let us turn to Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service. This public Transport service is used by thousands of persons every day. The frequency of service is poor, even the major stops are shabbily maintained and there is hardly any clean toilet at major destinations / even at the main centre. Auto Rickshaws take 4 passengers from the ST stop, Railway Station, Navrangpura, Lal Darwaja and Mani Nagar. What does it mean ?

Public are compelled to go by the auto rickshaws because of poor frequency of buses, uncertainty, or unduly long unproductive waiting. Should not CERC or CERS bother about this first, than voter's list

  

   

 
Is the fight for the Public or for one person ? 
 
     
  Out of 100 eligible voters, let us say, 20 persons or 20% have been left out, whatever be the reasons for the omission. The remaining 80% / the majority had the chance to vote. In a Democracy, the government is run by the Majority. Hence there is no basis to challenge the validity of the election unless there are gross and wilful misdeeds that makes a mockery of the elections.  
   
  Every election can become a meaningless exercise because a minor percentage of people would always get left out in the electoral roll - because the voters details are collected by Government employees and in the last 50 years they have shown to the World that except gaining Excellence in Corruption. they are the chosen few with power and authority.   
     
 
This sort of litigation is a slap to the larger number of persons who took the pains to vote
  

 
 
 
Bureaucratic Bungling
 
     
  I do not know who makes the electoral roll. It must be the Election Commission. I assume that one agency does it and it gets updated once in 2 years or so - the confirmation came in papers in Nov 05  
   
  The Government employees are assigned for 'Electoral roll check up'. For persons not used to 8 hours regular work, this is a punishing, unwanted exercise. It is shabbily done and poorly monitored. 

You cannot blame them because Mr. T. N. Seshan blared on Zee TV that as the Chief Election Commissioner, he does not have 8 hours work and he opposed the appointment of two commissioneers on that ground - though he wanted to act the Supremo without any potential challenge. 

  
     
  Perhaps about a year back, when someone came to my house to check the voter's list, he only checked that the two voters in his list are still valid. I was shocked that he 'had no interest or direction whatsoever to add 'new entries', no form if any for new voters registration, no idea of the whereabouts of the office where the public can go conveniently'. My progeny is not in the voter's list. 

So who is to blame for the shabby and poorly planned start ?

  
     
  This or similar being the background, there will always be errors in all electoral rolls. Even otherwise, some minor human error is unavoidable. Such being the case, after the majority have done their job as they deemed fit, to appeal for invalidation of the election is childish and not a justifiable proposition.  

 
 
 
 Public litigation or publicity litigation or private litigation
 
     
  If Manubhai has voted, then the Elections are ok ? What is CERS trying to convey to the public ? That one individual is greater than the voters who took the pain cast their votes  
   
  2] Consumer - Gold and Silver Purchase

Gold and Silver is bought by sizeable section of the population on Danteras day / before Diwali. There is wide spread mixing of Copper. A 22 carat Gold Chain may not actually be 22 Carat but can be between 18 carats and 22 carats. 

Has CERS ever attempted to study this problem and fought for a 'assay analysis instrument' or something similar at the end of the sellers and ensured that Customers really got what they paid for ?

  

 
 
 
Intended or unintended twist  ? Outlook's wordings 
 
     
  1]  'Manubhai Shah's Consumer Education and Research Society of Ahmedabad': The wordings convey that CERS is the personal outfit of Mr. Manubhai Shah. I hope it is not and his name is mentioned because of his dominance in the organisation.   
   
  2]  'Most interestingly, Shah and his family were absent from the voters' list, despite the fact that they have been staying at the same address for the past 25 years."  
     
  This is a point of little relevance. The emphasis by Outlook is unwarranted and mischievous. To infer or exaggerate a single case is ridiculous and illogical.

I am staying in the same address in Ahmedabad for the last 27 years. My name has never been missed out in any elections so far. If we follow Outlook's rational / emphasis, the electoral rolls are perfect

  

 
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