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I do not know how many of you can recall that first fortnight of January 2010, when a thick fog, mixed with all the atmospheric pollutants, enveloped several parts of North India, considerably reducing visibility.`A0Uttar Pradesh was no exception, and on the second day of the year, three different accidents involving five trains took a heavy toll. At least 50 people were reported injured in the accidents, while the number of dead was put at 15. If that was a bad start, things only got worse during the year. On May 28, Jyaneshwari Express was derailed by the Naxals, resulting in the death of at least 148 people. Then in July, Uttarbanga Express rammed into the rear carriages of a stationary Vananchal Express at Sainthia, near Kolkatta, killing 60 passengers and injuring another 90. In fact, the year 2010 would be remembered for the large number of train accidents — as many as 19 between January and October — that took away consumer confidence in the Railways’ ability to provide safe travel. Comparatively, the airlines may have had a better track record, but the year 2010 was an exception. At Mangalore’s airport, an Air India Express flight coming from Dubai overshot the table-top runaway and plunged into the deep ravines below, catching fire even as it fell. Out of the 166 passengers on board, only eight had a miraculous escape. The accident threw up several questions about the competence of pilots, their working hours, the work pressure, the safety of airports and the safety systems at work. Following the accident, the aviation regulator, the Director General of Civil Aviation, came up with several measures to reduce such accidents; yet`A0there were several near-misses during the year, underscoring the need for better safety norms in the sector. By all accounts, the year 2010 will go down as the year that witnessed the maximum number of accidents involving mass transportation. It also highlighted the inadequacies of the system to anticipate and prevent such accidents. The year also showed the vulnerability of the Indian consumer to the machinations of the market place`A0and the inability of the administration to rise to the occasion and protect customer interest.`A0During the year, a number of people fell prey to e-mails, announcing that they had won millions of dollars as prizes and not only gave out their bank details to the conmen, but also deposited into the account given by them, the money that they claimed was required for transferring the prize money. The year in fact saw a variety of con games aimed at the common man, and in all of them, the modern modes of communication — the Internet and the mobile phone — were extensively used. The fraudsters would offer`A0an annual contract`A0for prices ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 for a variety of services, such as home repair services, beauty parlour services and road helplines. Once the money was collected, the service provider would disappear without a trace. One also saw during the year, corruption in its worst form. Take the biggest scam of all — the allotment of the 2G spectrum scam. When service providers are chosen not on the basis of`A0the quality of service that they provide or their qualification to provide the service, but on the basis of the money and the political power that they wield, then people are the worst sufferers. Because, first of all, one can only expect the worst kind of service from such persons, and second, they are sure to recover from the consumer, the money that is paid as bribe to get the licence. There was distress and disappointment in store for the common man in other areas, too. The long-awaited amendments to the Consumer Protection Act did not come through during 2010. The amendment bill, incorporating several provisions to expedite the adjudication process and also empower the courts further`A0to deal with a variety of unfair trade practices and also unfair terms in consumer contracts, was expected to be finalised and introduced in Parliament during 2010, but that did not happen. So all in all, it is not
an exaggeration to say that 2010 was a disastrous year for the Indian
consumer. One only hopes that the New Year will bring in some positive
changes.
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