Alpha Times, Anna Nagar 21, June 2009

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SERVING YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD June 21, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 53

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Revaluation result delay keeps engg aspirants on edge

DGE's delay, students nightmare Those students who have applied for retotalling and reevaluation in their class XII exams are spending nerve wracking moments as they are waiting for their marks before Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) announce the rank list. A f e m a l e student was moved with tears at Directorate of School Education when she approached them with their Xerox copies of her Physics answer sheet, which showed her total as 99+50 = 139. She wanted her marks to be rectified as her correct score of 199 will take her cut-off to 198.75, an easy difference of over 2,000 ranks from her existing cut-off of 195.75. But,she got no response from the officers there. F i n a l l y, t h e Director of Examinations allegedly informed her father that all those who have applied for retotalling and reevaluation need not come to the officer as their rectified marks will be issued through the post. “It has been a

traumatic day. No officer there was even willing to speak to me and they told me that I am not alone. Imagine the harassment so many children and their parents are going through,” said , a parent at DPI on Thursday. Most Arts and Science colleges in the city closing their admission or in their last stages of admission. “I wanted to do bio-engineering. If I am not going to get the course in a good engineering college, I

would rather study biotechnology in a reputed science college than an engineering course. But, my biology marks are much below than what I expected. I applied for reevaluation as I can’t afford to apply for xerox copies of answer sheets and re-totalling. Does the e x a m i n a t i o n s department even realise how they are meddling with my future,” questions a frustrated candidate. TNEA Director Dr Rhymend Uthariraj

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said, “We understand that the students have problems about getting their mark-sheets. We assure them that even if the rank lists are

announced, if the student receives the revised marksheet before counselling begins, and submits a photocopy of the same

along with a request letter to change their rank, the revised mark will be uploaded immediately and the rank changed.”

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Alpha Times

June 21, 2009

Love Triumphs VOL: 2 ISSUE 53

June 21, 2009

That sinking feeling BJP leaders who have lived in their own world like Messrs L. K. Advani and Rajnath Singh are at sea now, struggling to tackle the crisis caused by the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. They are nowhere near success in the venture because they are not owning their responsibility for the defeat, least of all accounting for it. Finger-pointing is becoming more and more vehement and has fully replaced serious introspection and the fixing of responsibility for the poll debacle. Cut up ostensibly over this failure, Yashwant Sinha has resigned as vice-president and also from the party’s national executive council. The functioning of the party was being criticised by others like Jaswant Singh and Arun Shourie also, but Mr Sinha, who had raised a banner of revolt against Mr Advani in 2005 also when the latter praised Pakistan founder M A Jinnah for his “secularism”, has dropped a full-fledged “letter bomb”. In his four-page resignation letter, he has accused the party of putting “a premium on failure”, apparently referring to the nomination of Arun Jaitley, who was the chief election strategist, as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Sushma Swaraj as Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. At the same time, the barbs are also aimed at Mr Advani himself, who had declined to take up the position of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but later allowed himself to be persuaded to continue. The BJP, which was trained in discipline, is seeing an unseemly free for all melee with dirty linen being washed publicly. In fact, there is every chance that many more may follow Sinha in bidding adieu to the “party with a difference” which is today a parody of its pretensions, with no one willing or in a position to nurse it back to health, certainly not Messrs Advani and Rajnath Singh and their cronies. Although party president Rajnath Singh has imposed a “gag” order on party leaders and functionaries asking them to “refrain” from airing their views in public and in the media that will negatively impact the party’s image, he himself does not know what kind of disciplinary action he can take against leaders who have chosen to focus on a flawed leadership which led the party to its present state. Mr Advani himself has often from inside Parliament and outside cried hoarse in favour of the principle of accountability. But when it comes to himself he forgets about it. He perhaps still does not realise that he has reached the end of his political career and his continuing as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, and hence as Leader of the Opposition, stands in the way of resolving the crisis of a political party lying demoralised by defeat. His inability to face this basic truth can make it worse for the BJP.

Padmapadacharya is one of the excellent disciples of Shri AdiSankaracharya. One day Padmapada decided to do penance for the darshan of Lord Nrisimha. He went to forest for doing the tapas. In the forest he met a kirataka (hunter) and he revered padmapada as his master. Every day he used to come and greet his master with sincere love and affection. Gradually, the life of the hunter became a total surrender to the feet of the master. In his mind Guru and God became one and the same. One day he noticed that the master is doing tapas. He enquired the master and came to know that the master is doing tapas for the lion faced God (lord Nrisimha). So, he decided to fetch that God for his master. He did not understand how difficult it is to see the God. All he knows is by having the darshan of God his Guru's desire will be fulfilled. So, with all sincerity he began his search. As the time progresses, searching for the God became the only purpose of his life. He relentlessly and tirelessly continued his search. The flame of divine love completely cleaned him of all the impurities. At last, Lord Narayana showed his grace on him and appeared as Lion faced God. He immediately took him to Padmapada. Padmapada with uncontrollable joy fell on the feet of Lord Nrisimha. Lord Nrisimha explained to Padmapada that the innocent, pure, unselfish and single minded devotional love of the hunter without a trace of ego won him over. As mentioned in Sai Satcharita,"Once you surrender at Guru's feet with single minded devotion, not only the Guru, but God himself will be moved. Such is the marvel of Guru worship, which the guru- devotees should experience themselves." The main purpose of worship of God is to enable everyone to feel the joy and bliss of divine love and to become one in that love. As this goal appears too steep for many in the world, lot of steps have been prescribed to reach the Goal. Sri Sai advised Sraddha and Saburi as the fundamental keys to open the treasure chest of divine love or knowledge. Sraddha gives the self-confidence and Saburi allows staying at peace with day-to-day events. Some times during the times of crisis in life it becomes very difficult to hold on to these two keys. (Shraddha and Saburi). At those times, it is always good for us to remember the assurance of Sri Sai."The Sky is overcast. But, it is sure going to rain and bring forth the harvest."

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Stars this week For the week June 21-June 27, 2009 Stars advise against hunting for greener pastures. Don’t build castles in the air. Shun ambitious plans.

An opposing ally may become a supporter soon. So be confident and continue.

With a dominant and fast Mercury, there is a strong need to pacify a friend or a relative gone astray.

Hospitality and entertainment on agenda this week, hence energy will be spent on goodwill mission. Monday best for generous acts.

A Geminian Sun sighted by Pluto, may make you spend lavishly may soar. Unchecked demands of near ones may fluster you.

A fast Mercury makes it a good period for artists, sportsmen, poets and lovers. Keep pace with time and don’t let life bog you down.

With Venus in the house of income, good chance of gain through bargain, investment, salepurchase of stocks during this week.

Health, cooperation and close ties with influential persons are key to success this week.

Jupiter in the central zone will lift you up from lethargy. It may help you shun gossiping habit and stop wasting time.

Most of you will remain absorbed in work. Reduce workload and try to relax, as it could affect health.

A period of uncertainty ahead. It may difficult to decide whom to patch up with and whom to let go. You are not infallible.

A positive Jupiter will give you plum bargains and earn huge profits. Good time to go in for stocks. Saturday is your bonus day. - Dr. Anuj Vikram Sharma

Future Generali launches Future Anand Future Generali India Life Insurance Company, the Insurance joint venture between Future Group of India and Generali Group of Italy launched Future Anand, a combination of life and endowment assurance in Chennai, an evergreen choice of the savings savvy South Indian insurance buyer. The plan provides the benefit of two covers in a single policy, while still paying much less than two policies. A traditional wealth creation plan for future financial security, Future Anand allows customers to choose a short payment term and get back the sum assured along with guaranteed additions and bonuses as maturity benefit, while staying insured up to the age of 99 years, with 125 percent life cover after the premium paying term. The minimum premium paying term is 8 years and maximum is twenty years. Future Anand can be availed by persons aged 12-62 years, at a minimum sum assured of Rs. One lac per policy. Future Anand is the latest offering from Future Generali, as part of a continued endeavor to offer a vast array of products to customers, in line with their unique business model offering To t a l I n s u r a n c e

Solutions, across Life and General Insurance available at all outlets of the Future group Speaking at the launch, V. Saravanaa, Business Head – Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company, said “In a market like Chennai, where insurance awareness levels are high, the primary customer focus is oriented toward saving for the future. Future Anand helps you plan for required cash flows at the end of a certain period, whether it be for your child’s higher education, silver/golden wedding anniversary celebrations, retirement planning, family holiday, home purchase, child’s marriage, or similar. We have a robust network of 22 branches and 48 Future Group malls / outlets spread across the four southern states through which Future Anand will be available.” Conveying his best wishes for the Chennai launch of Future Anand, Jayant Khosla, CEO, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company said, “Future Anand is an appropriate choice for customers who are looking for consistent returns amidst continued market uncertainty. The plan offers multiple benefits that can take

Free eye check up for TANSECA members Ta m i l n a d u senior citizens’ association who has allied with vasan eye care hospital, offering free coupons for eye check up of their members. Over 50 members have availed of the free eye check up. It can be have also at the Perambur, Vadapalani, Chrompet branches of the hospital in addition to Anna nagar. T h i s association is the only stand-in administration for the welfare of senior citizens allover tamilnadu. There are around 1500 members in this association and 40% of members are from Anna nagar .They are performing many activities for their livelihood. To join in this

care of security in the long term, with the added option of flexible payment terms. We believe it answers the need of the hour.” Future Generali is currently active through 93 branches across 84 cities and over 25000 licensed advisors. Besides this large network of agents and branches, Future Generali will also actively offer their Insurance solutions across 192 Future Group malls.

Title of patron and gold card for those who help renovate temples In an effort to renovate old temples with help from benefactors, t h e Ta m i l N a d u government is all set to launch a new scheme to create a corpus fund by offering a title' and gold cards' to devotees who donate Rs five lakh for the fund. According to the new scheme, the government will confer the title Thirukkovil Puravalar' (temple patron) for those who contribute Rs five lakh. The patrons will be presented a gold card carrying their photographs by the Hindu religious and endowment department. They will be entitled to

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Alpha Times

June 21, 2009

special dharsan at all the temples managed by the department without any fee for 20 years. As many as 38,000 temples, most of them cultural treasures, have been managed by the government across the state. Many temples including some of the ancient ones had been in dilapitated condition. The government could not carry out renovation works due to inadequate funds. Chief minister M

Karunanidhi has instructed officials to create a corpus fund for temple renovation and encourage devotees thus, a government release said. If any devotee wished to be enrolled into the scheme by contributing Rs 5 lakh they may approach the Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments at 119, Gandhi Road, Chennai 34 and over telephone at 28334811-13.

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association, one should have completed 58 years of age with the payment of Rs.500 for their lifetime identity card.” Mr.P.S.Parasur aman. said that the association is also publishing a journal named “ELDERS” for their members on 15th of every month. Mr.D.Rajasekaran, General Secretary, says “this association is working for 22 years and we are doing our best for the benefit of the senior citizens.”.

Daily Trip to Thirupathi

TTDC to launch ‘Thirumana Thiruthala Suttrula’ from July 3 The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) is all set to launch a new conducted tour ‘Thirumana Thiruthala Suttrula’ from July 3. The tour is aimed at helping tourists to propitiate god at various temples to overcome hurdles in their way of their marriages, if any. According to a TTDC release, the coach

will leave Chennai on Fridays and arrive here on Mondays at 7 am. On the first day, the coach will stop at temples in Mudichur, Thiruvidanthai, Thirumanancheri, Thirukarukavur, Nachiyar Koil and Oppiliyappan Koil with night halt at Kumbakonam. On the second day, the tourists will be taken to Thirucherai and Madurai temples with

night halt at Madurai. On Sunday, they will be taken to Thiruvedagam. The cost per person is Rs.1,800 (for single occupancy) and Rs.1,400 (per person for double occupancy). It includes accommodation, transport and guide charges. Advance booking for the tour can be done at TTDC Office Complex on Wallajah Road and TTDC sales unit opposite Central Station.

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June 21, 2009

MIOT to construct new hospital With a view to provide global level

healthcare to people, MIOT Hospitals would be constructing a new 450bedded hospital at a cost of Rupees 200 crore with

equity investment from a US-based group.

Ta l k i n g t o mediapersons after laying the foundation stone for ''MIOT Hospitals International'',

its Founder and Managing Director P V A Mohandas said once the new hospital became fully operational in three years time, MIOT would be the first hospital to be equipped with 1000 beds in the country. ''The present capacity of the hospital is about 500 to 550 beds. Once the new facility is completed, we will become the first hospital in India to have 1000 beds in a single complex,'' he said. ''It has been a dream and desire of the MIOT Management to set up a world class centre of excellence in the city. The dream has become a reality today

Siblings get new lease of life For four-yearold Saravanan and threeyear-old Nandini, who were born with defects in the heart, it was a virtual rebirth. Hailing from a poor family, with their parents eking out a living through agriculture, their future appeared bleak as

them to rectify the defects in the heart. Ta l k i n g t o reporters here today after introducing the patients, SRM University ViceC h a n c e l l o r P Sathyanaraynan, Pro Chancellor P Ravi, Dr Harshavardhan and Dr Kapadia said diagnosis

sufficient blood to the heart. We found there was a hole resulting in mixing of bad and good blood in the heart,'' Dr Kapadia said. Since the defects could not be treated through a minimally invasive surgery, Open Heart surgeries were

the two were suffering from Ventricular septal defects. Hope came in the form of SRM Medical College Hospital and Health Sciences and both of them could now breathe easy and play their favourite sport. After being referred to the Hospital, a team of doctors in the Department of Cardio T h o r a c i c S u r g e r y, headed by Dr V Harshavardhan and Dr Nanda Kishore Kapadia performed the complex open heart surgeries on

revealed that both of them were suffering from ventrical septal defect, following which there was mix up of blood in the heart. They were suffering from breathing problems due to lack of oxygen in the blood. It was even more complicted for Saravanan as he used to faint without any reaction after crying for a while. ''After studying the heart beats, ECG was done to analyse each chamber in the heart to find whether there was

performed to correct the defect. ''The heart was opened and connected to heart lung machine. The hole was closed using a prosthetic material and both of them have become normal,'' Dr kapadia said. Both of them were born with a small hole during birth. As they grow, the hole ususally gets closed on its own in four to five years. Since the holes did not close, open heart surgery was the only solution, he added.

with the laying of the foundation stone for the International Hospital,'' Prof Mohandas added. The New Yorkbased Indian Equity partner Sid Khanna had bought one-third equity from the present hospital,

which was worth Rs 450 crore ''The Rs 150 crore from the US-based partner will be invested in the new facility and the remaining funds will be raised through internal accruals and debts,'' he said.

Anna Nagar girl tops SASTRA merit list R V Layamvrudhaa, a student of the SBOA Senior Secondary School in Anna Nagar has topped the SASTRA University B.Tech merit list prepared on the basis of the Plus Two and All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) scores of students who had applied for admission to the Thanjavur-based deemed university. The rank list is available online at www.sastra.edu . The university has dispatched call letters to the first 4,500 candidates and counselling for the admissions will be held between June 18 and 21 in Thanjavur. "Admission to 70% of seats in various B. Tech. programmes is based on the rank secured by a student

which is calculated based on the aggregate marks secured in the Plus Two examinations. The remaining 30% seats will be allotted by government of India's Central Counselling Board based on the AIEEE scores," S Vaidhyasubramaniam, dean (planning and development), SASTRA University said in a release. Over 10,000 applications were submitted by students from various boards of education in the southern States, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Kolkata, UP, Rajasthan, Goa and Assam. The Plus marks were been normalised to bring all students to the same level of comparison and the rank list is released based on the normalized scores secured by the candidates.

M.R. Shobana

Alpha Times

June 21, 2009

Post your complaint against auto drivers Next time you are harassed by an auto driver, make sure that you note down the auto number. You can then walk to the nearby bank or bus stand to collect a complaint card, fill in the auto number, date, place and time. Then fix a postage stamp and send it to the additional commissioner of traffic. The traffic police promises to take action from next week. “We have been getting a lot of complaints against auto drivers in the city. So we have planned to introduce these complain post cards, which can be posted to us. We are going to take stringent action against

erring drivers,” Shakeel A k t a r, a d d i t i o n a l commissioner, traffic, said. “We will make these cards available at public places like shopping malls, railway stations, bus stands and banks,” Aktar said. The traffic police will record the name and registration numbers of these autorickshaws and also the number of offences committed by the drivers. Past efforts of the traffic police and transport department to impose fixed fares have failed. Auto drivers generally refuse to use meters and a majority of them overcharge.

Maths contest The Association of Mathematics Teachers of India has announced the 41st National M a t h e m a t i c s Ta l e n t Contest for students. The medium of examination for school students will be English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu and for college students English. Last date for registration is July 31, 2009. For details Contact B-19, Vijay Avenue, 85/37, Venkatarangam Street, Triplicane. Ph: 28441523 Email: [email protected]. To Advertise in this paper Call

99400 24556

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June 21, 2009

A workshop for aspiring story tellers Kathalaya launched its Academy of Storytelling in the city by conducting a two-day certificate course titled

The course was aimed at exploring storytelling as a powerful educational and communication tool.

styles such as puppetry and Chitra-kathas Kathalaya, the organisation that aims at establishing the art of

‘The First Steps of Storytelling’. The workshop was organised on Saturday and Sunday, covering the basics of storytelling Sixteen eager participants-parents, grandparents and people from diverse professional backgrounds such as media, insurance, education, speech therapy, IT, art and dance attended the course

Geeta Ramanujam, Executive Director and Founder of Kathalaya, led the participants through the process of discovering the storyteller hidden within everyone. She stressed the importance of voice modulation, body language and gestures to improve the narrative q u a l i t y o f a s t o r y. Participants were also introduced to story telling

storytelling as an effective comm-unication tool, will conduct more such courses for children and adults on a regular basis, throughout the year. In August it plans to hold a five-day course on storytelling for those intending to learn more about the art form. Kathalaya can be reached at 9884017569 or 42059716.

Big B returns home from Macau, thank God Renowned Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan cherished every moment of vibrant and thrilling life in IIFA function at Macau in three days though he feels homesick and expressed happiness on coming back to his mansion. Mr Bachchan, who spent three wonderful days in Macau, flew back to M u m b a i t o d a y, f e l t delighted on his home return. ''Home at last, home at last, Lord of Mercies, home at last !!!,'' wrote Big B in his blog posted yesterday. Showering accolades on Venitian staff and mesmerised by their state-of-the-art amenities and cordial hospitality, Mr Bachchan said the farewell from the

Ve n i t i a n s t a f f a n d members lining up on either side of their huge passages to the exit applauding, and a group of performers singing Italian was astounding. ‘'Each and every member of the fraternity was looked after with utmost personal care. Simply amazing'' claimed the actor. Flaunting details of number of Indian Industry members who joined the IIFA function, he said the IIFA facilitated the movement of about 600 people from the industry in Mumbai to Macau. ''Over and above this an entire management contingent of 80-100 Wizcraft personnel to manage and organise the various events. T r a v e l ,

transport, daily activities of all the guests, setting up the various sessions over the weekend, business forums, cinema work shops, fashion shows, release of upcoming films and their promotions, environment activities on greening the atmosphere and the efforts being made on Global Warming, green carpet welcome, entertainment for the guests on arrival endless',' Big gets candid. Taking a dig at one of his fan fors calling it just another award event and dubbing it as rubbish, Mr Bachchan lambasted that they were ignorant ill-informed attention seekers. ''Have they any idea of what transpires in this three day weekend ?'' he asked. In a bid to

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90947 99011 enlighten his fans, he said the IIFA Business Forum gets almost 150 industry heads from both India and the host nation, this time China.

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Feature

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Alpha Times

June 21, 2009

Are you lonesome?

Why I am so lonely? This is the question which arises very often in our minds. The feeling of being neglected, fear and lack of confidence are the root causes for making one become isolated. The feeling of loneliness can cast very deep impressions on one’s mind. It certainly stimulates depression. There are many reasons why we feel lonely. Let’s have a look at some of them. Lack of communication When a person is unable to tell people about his or her thoughts and problems, for whatever reasons, s/he starts feeling lonely and starts to consider themselves as the kind no one wants to share their joys and sorrows with. In such cases people hides themselves in an invisible shell and avoid interaction with others. As the years go by, this shell becomes thicker and one does not allow anyone to enter and bring with them some fresh air and sunlight of good thoughts.

Less attention If a child in a family is less intelligent than his/her siblings, s/he is more sensitive in noticing the attitude of the parents and s/he makes comparison with other siblings. Then this child not only becomes reserved and less attentive towards studies but also withdraws from society itself. Inferiority complex Some people have a strong belief that money is everything. And when they see people around them holding expensive gadgets, wearing designer or branded clothes, they feel miserable. When they feel they cannot afford such things, it isolates them from the rest of the world as their inferiority complex does not allow them to get be around other people. Overcoming loneliness Confidence: Yo u m u s t b u i l d u p confidence in yourself because you are not less than anyone; you must have qualities that others don’t have, so try to discover them. Do not be afraid of the world around you. Remember it is

made by people like you and I. They also make Mistakes, they also have troubles but it does not mean they are hiding themselves from the world, so try to face them like you face yourself. Hard work: Saying “I cannot do it” is wrong. One can do and achieve whatever s/he wants, but this requires hard and non-stop work. You might face failure at first but remember this will be your key to success. Therefore, be optimistic and work hard! Take up hobbies: An empty mind is the devil’s workshop as the famous quote goes but have you analysed the importance of this line? Always keep yourself busy in some recreational activities, never waste your time in gossiping and just playing or sulking around. Hobbies like reading, gardening, writing, computer courses, etc., can make you real busy and you will also discover your hidden potentials. Hope thes e things help to bring you on top of the world. Best of luck!

Consumer Rights

In one of the first cases of theft of valuables kept in a bank locker, the national consumer disputes redressal commission dismissed the contention of the bank that it was not liable to compensate the client for the loss of jewellery kept in the locker, and awarded Rs 1,26,017 along with 18 per cent interest (Punjab National Bank, Bombay, vs KV Shetty, FA No 7 of 1991). Then, about two years ago, in the case of Union Bank of India vs Kanak Choudhary (RP No 889 of 2000), the national commission awarded compensation for the loss suffered by the customer on account of termites destroying currency notes and valuable papers kept in t h e l o c k e r. I n t h e backdrop of these and several such cases, the decision of the national commission in the case of Amitabha Dasgupta vs United Bank of India comes as a big disappointment. The client in this

Eco-no-my With the world going through a major global recession, all we hear these days are all the people asking us to save money and to help the economy of the country by contributing whatever little we can to it. We hear and read the word ‘economy’ so many times a day, have you ever wondered where it came from? Well, the word economy is derived from the Greek word oikonomia which is taken from oikos, meaning the home or fireplace. W h a t ’ s interesting is that the ancient Greeks did not have the same idea of an economy that we have t o d a y. T h e w o r d economy may be Greek, but to the Greeks it meant something like the rules of a household, as they did not think about the economy as a whole. Even without

any policy, Greeks still made things, used things, bought things, and sold things in a very systematic manner — and that is what a real economy is. The most fascinating part of ancient economy was undoubtedly the barter system, in which goods were exchanged for goods. In the barter system, exchange could take place between two persons only if each possessed the goods which the other wanted. For example, if a weaver needed shoes and he had cloth to offer in exchange he did not only have to find a cobbler who made shoes, but also find such a cobbler who needed cloth and was prepared to give shoes in exchange for it. This is what made the system so complicated as well as intriguing. M o r e o v e r, i t was also difficult to divide

a commodity in the barter system without loss in its value. For example if a man wanted to purchase cloth equal to half the value of his cow and other commodities for the rest half value of cow; he could not divide his cow. So he had to find a person who had everything he needed. So for all those who are suffering because of the recession and mock the modern economy to no end, this is quite a lesson. We should be thankful that we have an economy and that the state looks after all the financial matters, instead of us going around looking for someone who would take our watch and give us a pack of crisps. So take out those coins from your pocket and give them a pat. If it wasn’t for them, you’d be exchanging your favourite bat to buy a Spiderman shirt. - S. Raghunathan

Take photos of your valuables before depositing them in the bank locker case was the joint hirer, along with his mother, of a locker at the Deshapriya park branch (Kolkata) of the United Bank of India, from the year 1979. On November 12, 1994, on the ground that the locker charges for 1994 had not been paid, the bank broke open the locker and removed the contents. Strangely, it did not even think it fit to send a notice to the hirers of the locker, nor have independent witnesses to note down the contents of the locker. By all counts, this was illegal. That was not all. Even after this action, the bank did not inform the clients. They, in fact, came to know of this six months hence when they went to operate the locker. Before the court, the bank admitted that it had broken open the locker on grounds of nonpayment of fee without due notice and intimation to the consumers. It also admitted that the locker was broken open inadvertently (the clients

had paid the fee for the year), for which the bank had tendered an unconditional apology, and offered the clients another locker. It also admitted that it did not recover the jewellery in the locker in the presence of independent witnesses. Given these factors, the district forum accepted the complaint that the jewellery being returned by the bank was not that of the consumers, and directed the bank to either return all the valuables in the locker listed by them or pay in lieu of it Rs 3 lakh and a compensation of Rs 50,000. This was, however, contested by the bank. The West Bengal state consumer disputes redressal commission, in response, held that there was no evidence on record to show either the contents of the locker or their valuation. However, the court could give compensation for the deficient service rendered by the bank, and towards this, it

awarded Rs 30,000. This view was upheld by the national commission. In lieu of the hiring charges that it collects, the bank is supposed to safeguard the contents of the locker. By refusing to adjudicate on the issue, the courts failed to deliver justice, and also set a bad precedent. This order also throws up an important issue: in cases such as this, how is one to prove the contents of a locker or their value? Since nobody keeps valuables in a locker in the presence of a witness, it is very difficult to prove what was in the locker. And if the jewellery is inherited and not bought, then one may not even have bills to prove their purchase value. In a number of cases of locker thefts, banks have compensated the consumers for the loss of the contents. I do not know how they did the valuation, but it might be a good idea for clients to make a detailed list of the contents of the locker, get their pictures and also have them valued, if possible. - Pushpa G

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Alpha Times

June 21, 2009

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