Poor customer care of Jio: Letters to The Editor

Poor customer care of Jio

It has come to notice and experience of many customers about poor quality of customer care, and increased charges by Jio, mobile service provider. The personnel manning customer care centres are rude, and do not have any intent to support the customer. They tend to limit their customer care by reeling off what is displayed on their system, which, in any case is known to the customer. They are also very rude, in addition to giving wrong advice. This is more pronounced when one chooses Assamese as the language.

Further, the quality of Jio network has dramatically deteriorated, even within Guwahati. In the service centres of Jio, courtesy is missing. Moreover, Jio has also started compulsorily charging on certain items like SIM card, Jio app, etc. Apparently, after occupying the top slot among the mobile service providers, Jio seems to believe that the customer can be taken for a ride with poor customer care.

D Bhutia,

Guwahati

Animals have also right to live!

Animals have also right to live like human beings. Two spaces have been demarcated by nature. Plain land has been earmarked for human beings and jungles/forests as animals' habitats. However, it is often than not found that human beings indulge in encroaching unlawfully to animal habitats, which cause conflicts between men and animals. This results in casualty in both the sides.

This refers to a recent incident wherein a leopard died after falling into an un-barricaded well behind the Axle Care Hospital at Pachim Boragaon. The well belongs to a person, who might have occupied the land (unauthorized occupation) and made a house therein. In the first place, the man is to be punished for not putting barricade around the well. Human being could have been also the victim. Since the leopard has no guardian to lodge FIR with the police, the man gets away unpunished. Such irresponsible people must be brought to book by the authority.

Recently, an unfortunate and sad incident did occur in Maligaon Railway Colony where a small child was killed by a leopard. This is also a result of encroachment of forest land. The action taken by forest officials, after the incident did not seem to be proper. Forest officials took the easy path rather than to take corrective steps to stop recurrence of such incidents in future. Instead, they trapped two leopards and sent them to the zoo. By doing so, forest officials have dislocated leopards from their habitat and also separated them from their families. Can they meet again their family? Could anyone read the emotions rife in the eyes of the caged leopards? Indeed, men's inhumanity made the world not a good place to live in!

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

Ban of apps

As US government moves forward to ban Chinese apps for security concerns regarding apps, more and more countries join in to further promote in this venture to bring in the concern of illegal data mining of user without their consent or knowledge. But as every cloud has a silver lining, the giant tech corporation has been doing so for years without us knowing or having a clue about.

The 21st century is all about connectivity, be it social media or for business purposes. It is the greatest harpoon in bringing out the best or the worst out for the global citizen. Neither does it discriminate nor does back anyone. But when it comes to big digital corporations, be it Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc they have introduced search engines based on the algorithm long before these security issues came into light. They have been using location, last searched query, cookies and various other instruments or line of code embed deep within their website and mobile applications.

Mrinmoy Deka,

Guwahati

Money is first priority for medical facilities

The issue of high hospital fees continues to plague the city with many instances coming to light of private hospitals refusing to part with the bodies of COVID-19 patients until next of kin settle contested bills running into lakhs.

Charges like oxygen and bio-medical waste clearance are new components that private hospitals are adding in the bills. Private hospitals however state they are abiding by government norms in billing.

Recently, in Gauhati Medical College, a patient who was in serious need of oxygen ventilation was stopped from the attainment of oxygen supply because his hospital due charges weren't made.

Such cases are not very uncommon. Many patients in likewise manner die because of delay in bill payments in spite of the attendants say that they will make the payments within a few couple of days.

Hospitals don't proceed with the treatment without specific payments being done on time, without prior tests which requires large sums of money; doctors don't proceed with the treatment or provide medications.

The COVID tests prior to any OPDs in private hospitals make one feel the pinch. Moreover, making it mandatory has caused troubles for the non-COVID patients seeking treatments.

Rajashree Das,

Gauhati

New political party in Assam

While much euphoria and discussions have been exhibited over the formation of a new regional political party in Assam, the overall objectives and necessity for the same still remain very abstract and foggy. Unlike the 1980s when the need for a regional political power was more spontaneous and appealing to the public, the political scrambling seen now appears as a forceful decision aimed at short-term and opportunistic goals, to say the least.

The proposition put forth by the AASU, which is yet again at the helm of affairs, is only half the truth and lacks clear vision and commitment. As a matter of fact, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 which is an Act passed by the Parliament with subjects concerning the Union List cannot be repealed by a State Legislative Assembly or by the members of the Opposition or by a couple of MPs or MLAs. It was the Supreme Court that struck down the IMDT Act 1983 as unconstitutional, and neither the political parties nor the government played any part in it. Similarly, the successful implementation of the recommendations under the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord would also require appropriate Constitutional amendments which can only be achieved through debates and discussions in the Parliament.

In neither of the cases can a regional political party with its limited reach and resources play any role except maintaining pressure on the government of the day which in any case the AASU and the others have consistently been doing so for a long time. Without a clear vision, the new political party will only help fulfil and secure the political ambitions of a few leaders and once again be condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past. Political leaders and social activists should not take people's emotions for a ride.

Himangka Kaushik,

Guwahati