Madras
Sept. 12th
Government Office: Railways
Have you ever cancelled tickets? A day after the train had departed? Well, if you have not. This will teach you the process, trauma, agony one has to go through before getting his refund back!
The central railway owns 3 buildings in Madras (I got to know about this after this incident!).
First - I filled in a regular reservation/cancellation form and stood in one of the zillion queues waiting for their trip approval from one of the counters. I took the one that had lesser queue strength. Stood there for forty-five minutes! and finally gave the man behind the counter the form and the ticket. He gave a strange look and returned it back, and added that I need to be at the second floor (this episode was in first floor) to do a cancellation of post-train-departure. On hearing this, I left to the first floor and there was a counter named Refund-blah-blah, I was also informed that I need to meet the Superintendent, to request for a refund. So, on reaching the second floor I directly went and met the Superintendent and asked him about the refund. (Well, it wasn't over there, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this!) He, on looking at the ticket asked me why I couldn't do this first in the morning around 9 or 10hrs (the time was 2pm), I gave him lame reasons. He diverted me to the main building Platform 6 and to a counter on that line: EFT.
Right ho! Covered 100mts to reach the next red-building and went hunting for this EFT counter on the entire stretch of platform 6. My friend (I forgot to mention about this friend who accompanied, he's a close friend of mine from college) advised that it must be at the beginning and no dumbo will keep it at the end of the platform! So, we tottered back to the start and voila, found EFT. There, a TTR was standing and a lady seated beside him. We gave him the ticket, he gave a wry look and asked it to be forwarded to the lady. We did so and after a couple of minutes the lady returned a receipt kind of stuff, where I was to fill in the extra details. After doing so, I was directed to the next building. Blimey! All these for a refund of 85bucks (50% of the ticket!!!). I was to respect my uncle’s words and that was the only reason I was doing it. My friend and I were hunger struck: we were ready to spread blankets and beg our food! All these years I was under the impression or never cared to notice that railways was an empire and it owned 3 huge palaces. Well, it did!!!
We reached the next building (Opposite to GH) under uncertainty. The next building was huge (that's not the perfect word! Too huge! (Hmmm... that's satisfying)). We made a smart move - we asked for guidance from one of the officers (as in for directions TO GET MY MONEY). He directed us and we found the place where it said colloquially: FETCH YOUR MONEY HERE! I was happy to see the sign (Imagine a dog seeing a bone!). Rushed in and gave the officer in-charge the form (the lady had handed over to us). He took in another form/receipt and a white sheet that was stamped in the right-bottom-corner and started to scribble.
The plight:
Meanwhile I engaged myself looking at this huge hall that was hosting these many people, not working (Boss, its govt. office!). There were two ladies discussing on some-known-issues (obviously not country or pak-ind problem, but about necklaces and sarees). There was an officer who was uncontrollably yawning-away-to-glory, scratching his head (and trying to figure out why he was having no-work on his desk or what his wife had asked him to bring home while returning! probably halwa) A lady reading a novel. Old fans, which solved no purpose of what it was invented for. There were Godrej's worn-down-rusted-almirah's- no locks! And finally at the corner of the hall, towards the roof- there was attic-kinda stuff, where I believed all the forms which we had given are stored as food for termites and book-worms (literally)!
Finally the officer returns me a ticket (the plain white sheet I was talking about!) and (this is the most important part of the whole process) I asked "The refund?". He answers "You'll get it in register post in a months time." I was speechless, flabbergasted. What should I say? Took the receipt, as it was an evidence to be given back to the postman when he hands over the register post. More than 2 hours and I end up getting my MONEY after a month! WTF?!
Everywhere, it was like Vivek's comedy- "Take Diversion!"
My friend was giving away ideas of how this problem could be solved: Computerization! None of the back-end processes in railways are computerized. It would solve a problem in jiffy!
Now these are the suggestions we must look into with some seriousness. We are looking into prospective business and a development towards a better, self-sufficient India. There was a forward on "Re. 1 is $ 45", Computerization of the Municpal. Silly and small they may be but they are an effective way to achieve what we need. An amazing, beautiful and a vibrant India, where everyone is happy!
Cannot wait to see it happen. It’s the youth, the majority age group in India, who can make such a thing to happen. Small groups here and there contributing in small numbers but as the network grows, imagine we'll rock this world for good (This was a part of a chain-mail discussion between a circle of friends, I'll be writing more on that later!). Showing who is mightier!
All said and seen through movies, but when are we going to think and pave and tread the way to realize this huge dream? Think Think Think...
With these thoughts, we left to my home for food!
Sept. 12th
Government Office: Railways
Have you ever cancelled tickets? A day after the train had departed? Well, if you have not. This will teach you the process, trauma, agony one has to go through before getting his refund back!
The central railway owns 3 buildings in Madras (I got to know about this after this incident!).
First - I filled in a regular reservation/cancellation form and stood in one of the zillion queues waiting for their trip approval from one of the counters. I took the one that had lesser queue strength. Stood there for forty-five minutes! and finally gave the man behind the counter the form and the ticket. He gave a strange look and returned it back, and added that I need to be at the second floor (this episode was in first floor) to do a cancellation of post-train-departure. On hearing this, I left to the first floor and there was a counter named Refund-blah-blah, I was also informed that I need to meet the Superintendent, to request for a refund. So, on reaching the second floor I directly went and met the Superintendent and asked him about the refund. (Well, it wasn't over there, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this!) He, on looking at the ticket asked me why I couldn't do this first in the morning around 9 or 10hrs (the time was 2pm), I gave him lame reasons. He diverted me to the main building Platform 6 and to a counter on that line: EFT.
Right ho! Covered 100mts to reach the next red-building and went hunting for this EFT counter on the entire stretch of platform 6. My friend (I forgot to mention about this friend who accompanied, he's a close friend of mine from college) advised that it must be at the beginning and no dumbo will keep it at the end of the platform! So, we tottered back to the start and voila, found EFT. There, a TTR was standing and a lady seated beside him. We gave him the ticket, he gave a wry look and asked it to be forwarded to the lady. We did so and after a couple of minutes the lady returned a receipt kind of stuff, where I was to fill in the extra details. After doing so, I was directed to the next building. Blimey! All these for a refund of 85bucks (50% of the ticket!!!). I was to respect my uncle’s words and that was the only reason I was doing it. My friend and I were hunger struck: we were ready to spread blankets and beg our food! All these years I was under the impression or never cared to notice that railways was an empire and it owned 3 huge palaces. Well, it did!!!
We reached the next building (Opposite to GH) under uncertainty. The next building was huge (that's not the perfect word! Too huge! (Hmmm... that's satisfying)). We made a smart move - we asked for guidance from one of the officers (as in for directions TO GET MY MONEY). He directed us and we found the place where it said colloquially: FETCH YOUR MONEY HERE! I was happy to see the sign (Imagine a dog seeing a bone!). Rushed in and gave the officer in-charge the form (the lady had handed over to us). He took in another form/receipt and a white sheet that was stamped in the right-bottom-corner and started to scribble.
The plight:
Meanwhile I engaged myself looking at this huge hall that was hosting these many people, not working (Boss, its govt. office!). There were two ladies discussing on some-known-issues (obviously not country or pak-ind problem, but about necklaces and sarees). There was an officer who was uncontrollably yawning-away-to-glory, scratching his head (and trying to figure out why he was having no-work on his desk or what his wife had asked him to bring home while returning! probably halwa) A lady reading a novel. Old fans, which solved no purpose of what it was invented for. There were Godrej's worn-down-rusted-almirah's- no locks! And finally at the corner of the hall, towards the roof- there was attic-kinda stuff, where I believed all the forms which we had given are stored as food for termites and book-worms (literally)!
Finally the officer returns me a ticket (the plain white sheet I was talking about!) and (this is the most important part of the whole process) I asked "The refund?". He answers "You'll get it in register post in a months time." I was speechless, flabbergasted. What should I say? Took the receipt, as it was an evidence to be given back to the postman when he hands over the register post. More than 2 hours and I end up getting my MONEY after a month! WTF?!
Everywhere, it was like Vivek's comedy- "Take Diversion!"
My friend was giving away ideas of how this problem could be solved: Computerization! None of the back-end processes in railways are computerized. It would solve a problem in jiffy!
Now these are the suggestions we must look into with some seriousness. We are looking into prospective business and a development towards a better, self-sufficient India. There was a forward on "Re. 1 is $ 45", Computerization of the Municpal. Silly and small they may be but they are an effective way to achieve what we need. An amazing, beautiful and a vibrant India, where everyone is happy!
Cannot wait to see it happen. It’s the youth, the majority age group in India, who can make such a thing to happen. Small groups here and there contributing in small numbers but as the network grows, imagine we'll rock this world for good (This was a part of a chain-mail discussion between a circle of friends, I'll be writing more on that later!). Showing who is mightier!
All said and seen through movies, but when are we going to think and pave and tread the way to realize this huge dream? Think Think Think...
With these thoughts, we left to my home for food!
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