The Hindu : New Delhi News : Salaam India

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Monday, Nov 24, 2008
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New Delhi

Salaam India - Reader's Mail

Many non-resident Pakistani restaurant owners in Japan not only name their ventures after Indian names, they also display the Indian Tricolour on their signboards. And we should be proud of that.

Even dishes are named in tune with Indian nomenclature. What’s more, packaged stuff such as liquor of Indian origin is more popular in these restaurants. Posters publicising Indian goods are displayed prominently inside the restaurants. A chain of 50 restaurants owned by a Pakistani is named “The Great India”!

Pro-Pakistani elements in Kashmir should take note of the feel-good emotion experienced by non-resident Pakistanis in other countries by adopting “Indian” for better trade prospects.

Isn’t it in the interest of the people of Kashmir really to be proud Indians rather than tilt towards an unstable Pakistan?

Subhash Chandra Agrawal,

1775 Kucha Lattushah, Dariba, Chandni Chowk, Delhi – 110 006.

Credit squeeze

HSBC offered me a credit card (No. 4384599999156226) at Chandigarh with a clear understanding that no annual charges would be levied on it. I did not use the card for a year and the bank issued me a fresh card on its own. During this period, I did not receive any bill from the bank. I booked air tickets in France using this card and promptly made the payment to HSBC within the valid credit period.

After that, the bank kept sending me automated computer-generated statements showing some previous balance along with interest and late fee penalties. I called the bank to intimate to me the transactions I had made to enable me to make the payment, but I never got any satisfactory reply. Thereafter I asked the bank to stop my card, which it did, but kept on sending me monthly statements.

Then all of a sudden, without intimating me, HSBC filed a recovery suit in Delhi’s Tis Hajari court and I was informed by the bank’s advocate that the case was listed for November 17, 2008, in Room No. 305 in the court of Balwant Rai Sehgal (case No. 388/2008) and non-bailable warrants had been issued against me. And that I would be arrested and might not get bail for 15 days. He advised me to deposit Rs.13,946 with the bank and said that they would withdraw the case.

I am a senior official with the Haryana State Agri-Marketing Board at Hisar with my permanent residence at Panchkula. I called the collection agent of the bank who charged me Rs.10,000 and gave a receipt (No. CDP-0375803, dated November 15).

This is a clear case of arm-twisting as the bank did not intimate me about the case. This despite the bank having my mobile phone on which they tear my head apart with all sorts of promotional schemes and loan offers all the time.

People would do well to be cautious next time HSBC calls them offering a credit card.

Surinder M. Sharma,

House No. 56, Sector 21, Panchkuka, Haryana.

Calling SBI….

I am bringing this to the notice of the higher authorities of the State Bank of India through these columns after several failed attempts over the past seven months for getting an ATM card from the Barbigha branch of SBI (Branch Code No. 2914). My mother, Susheela Devi, opened a savings account (No. 30362424323) in her name at the Barbigha branch of SBI on April 9 this year. Since then I have applied twice on her behalf for the ATM card but to no avail. Complaints fall on deaf ears and officials remain indifferent and apathetic towards my concern.

On the one hand SBI claims dedication to the service of its customers. On the other hand are flawed working procedures where issuing an ATM card is taking more than six months!

I live in a remote village and see such irresponsible and disparaging attitude towards rural customers as a blot on banking services in the country.

I request the SBI authorities to look into this matter now and provide me relief from further mental and physical harassment.

Sandeep Kumar,

Khetalpura, Barbigha Nalanda, Bihar – 811 101.

Wanted: a bus

I am one of the joint signatories of a letter sent to Traffic Manager, DTC, Scindia House, New Delhi, about two months ago requesting for a bus between Paschim Vihar and Nehru Place in the Capital. However, no action has been taken so far. Not one DTC bus runs on this route and office-goers have to depend on chartered buses run by private operators.

I, therefore, on behalf of the residents of colonies adjoining Paschim Vihar (GH-13, GH-14, GH-5&7, GH-8, GH-6 and GH-9 ) request the DTC authorities to start bus services on this route at the earliest. Raghavan Natarajan,

GH-8/600, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi - 110 087.

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