One thing everybody in Bangalore would know about is the L.P.Gas and Electricity connection number marriage. Most have no clue why it is being done and even what needs to be done, although the deadline is almost here. In the queue where people where waiting to submit the papers, I just asked around as to why did we have to submit it. Guess what, nobody even knew why they were giving in all their documents! The only best answer they had was “To make sure I don’t stop receiving my GAS cylinders”. Well, is that a reason you should be doing something for? I would call it FEAR, fear of losing that is making you do that. As citizens should we be living this way? Doing things out of Fear?
The Government (or the food and civil supplies commissioner) realizes this and are scaring people to get things done!! Puzzled why am I saying this? Here is the reason. Take a look at the image below, this is from a newspaper insert (Wed 2/2 TOI Page2), from the commissioner of food and civil supply.
Now read carefully the third note, first line says “In an Earlier notification by the department it was stated that in case of failure to furnish the information asked for….ration card will be cancelled and the supplier will be asked to stop supply of gas”. The second & third lines says “However since no such action has been taken till now… if any distributor refuses to on such ground (ground of rules from the previous notification?) it will be violation of rules”!!! Violation of rules? The previous statement did say that the supply will be cut off and now they say cutting off will be violation of rules! They make the rule themselves as to cut off the connection. When people get the fear of losing connection, leave everything in life to go give the papers right away (due to short deadline), the commissioner comes back to say that cutting off the connection is against the rule!!! Playing cat and mouse? Making people wet their pants in fear and then say nothing serious! Even better stuff is when the government comes to “Help”, trying to help people cut down the queues and submit from their desks, on their website! Although I am personally impressed with this option, I love it. I appreciate the government taking this step of taking things online. Its really easy to submit it online, whether you are at home or in Office. You need not have to stand in long queues and besides most of us in Bangalore understand the online world really well. We can use the website and leave the physical paper work for those innocent about online world and/or want to go down personally and give it off. But what was disappointing was our minister Shobha’s reply to the media on the site’s down time, “Stop cribbing! If the website isn’t working, try it tomorrow or day after”!! 
It’s not a favor done to the public by having easy ways to work with govt. It’s your responsibility Aunty, you have chosen to be there and do just this. You had taken oath to do this and now feel people are cribbing?
It’s not a favor done to the public by having easy ways to work with govt. It’s your responsibility Aunty, you have chosen to be there and do just this. You had taken oath to do this and now feel people are cribbing? My dear elected minister, while I accept and appreciate the fact that you are doing things to make this a better place for us to live, why portray a “BAD GUY” image? Understand, Realize and Reason what you are doing. I see three things that we want you to be doing for us. First is clarity, tell clearly as to why and what is being done. Knowing why we are doing will prevent the feeling of rejection. You could avoid half the hassle right here, of people complaining, refusing, seeing the request as a “Hitler order”. Secondly, I would call it “proper planning”, give it time to be put practical. If you are rolling out a rule, it shouldn’t put people’s feet on fire. You are talking to lakhs of people in Bangalore. Give some time, don’t expect to have things completed overnight. Third is, own it, take the responsibility. If the site has a down time, it isn’t a small thing enough to ignore or say people are cribbing. You could just have your people find out what is happening and tell us that you are working to fix and will be up soon. Simple? This could avoid all the brush ups with the public. Now you can spend all your time fighting out the blames by the oppositions (which I feel will never end, no matter what one does)!
