Monday, April 13, 2009

One hundred and eighty minutes of Waiting

One hundred and eighty minutes of waiting
Dr P Vyasamoorthy

On 11th April, It took me an hour in the queue in Secunderabad HPO.
Task accomplished was just to handover Form 15H with respect to Senior
Citizens Savings Scheme Account. There were 12 persons ahead of me.
Despite computerization, things have not improved. The official in
charge at the counter had responsibility for updating of all types of
accounts (passbooks), dole out cash on quarterly and monthly payments
from POMIS / SCSC accounts. The counter was exclusively for Senior
citizens. In a matter that one hour she went out twice to get cash. In
the same branch on the same day I submitted my NSC 1987 Passbook for
closing the account. To get the cheque for the same I had to wait for
two hours. Can this ordeal be mitigated?

Yes, if the concerned authorities are interested. Tokens may be given
to people as and when they come. Customers can bide their time
elsewhere (say in comfortable chairs) until their turn arrives instead
of restlessly standing in the queue. The official in charge may
perform verification and delivery of cash, entry in passbook quickly.
Entry in the system (computer) may be done in batches when rush
subsides. For counting cash Currency Counting machines may be
installed. The hall can be well ventilated or air-conditioned so that
waiting guys do not feel the heat. A limitation on the number of
passbooks a person may come with may be stipulated. Or persons with
bulk requests (like agents) and persons with simpler tasks may be
bifurcated into different queues.

None of the above suggestions is anything profound or original. Just
plain common sense. I wonder why these government authorities lack it.

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