jayanagar jp nagar & BTM
Meal vouchers shake up supermarket loyalties We shoppers resigned ourselves to carrying cash and cards to shop. We were concerned as to what to do with the remaining vouchers.
“Yours Truly. From 31 Dec, we will not accept Meal Vouchers,” says a notice displayed in a ‘Home Needs’ shop in JP Nagar 7th phase. This was a jolt out of the blue for me and other shoppers who use vouchers. These vouchers are handed down by top managements to their employees as perks. Apparently shops took this decision when a major retail player (does not wish to be named) who accepted vouchers was not reimbursed properly by the company who dealt with vouchers. The alleged reason was the amount withheld as commission by voucher company, which puts a hole in their pockets. When this news spread within their fraternity, shopkeepers put a blanket ban on accepting vouchers.
But there were exceptions to the rule. I discovered another shop - Ever Fine Super Market - a few yards away, which did not have the display on vouchers. Eager to expend the remaining vouchers, a few like me now buy our monthly supplies from here. There is a stream of shoppers in this outlet even during odd hours. Even the express checkout counter does not ease congestion. When I ask people about this inconvenience, pat comes the reply, “We get what we need, why fret over small issues?” They pay using meal vouchers, satisfied that they do not have to dispose of those. My neighbourhood shopping complex has multiple local retail grocers playing with the corporate brands. It has always been a fight to survival for the small shops. A loyal customer may not shift to a big timer, but the next generation customer who wants convenience will be loyal to any shop that offers him what he seeks. Our Citizen friendly neighbourhood ‘Home Needs’ Reports shop did just that. Armed with shrewd business strategy, he offered what the big timers did not. The risk turned into a money spinner with customers streaming in by word-of-mouth. Guess the risk did shift loyalties for some of us. ANURADHA KRISHNA is a writer based in JP Nagar.
BESCOM MD gives, AEEE delays BESCOM junior engineers have failed to comply with the orders passed by their senior officials to restore the back billing charges of 400 residents under JP Nagar S6 subdivision. In the issue dated 24 March, 2012, Citizen Matters reported about BESCOM slapping a fine up to 1.1 lakh rupees on the residents for not signing an agreement while shifting from residential to commercial connection. At that time, BESCOM admitted to its lapses and agreed to reverse the penalty. According to the minutes of the meeting available with Citizen Matters, Superintendent Engineer-
South, Nagarjuna D on 12th March stated that the charges would be cancelled by 12th April. But so far, the residents haven’t received any official confirmation. Meanwhile the new AEEE (Asst Exec Engg Electrical) of S6 Sub Division, Lokesh Babu, has asked the residents to sign an indemnity bond if residents want to enter into the agreement immediately. This is because BESCOM will take another two months to otherwise verify the back billing claims and revoke it. Residents are not happy about this. Pradeep Nagaraja, 28, owner of a house in BTM layout and who was penalised `1 Lakh did not favour
6 CITIZEN MATTERS 21 Apr - 4 May 2012 Vol-4 Issue-06
signing indemnity bond. He claims, “Even BESCOM’s MD Manivannan P told us not to sign the bond as later BESCOM might tell us we are at fault again. The bond may allow them to charge us heavily.” While Manivannan was not available to comment, Nagarjuna, SE-South again promises to start the process of reversal in couple of days. Regarding the demand for indemnity bond by Babu, he admitted that this was done without the consent of senior officials. He says, “I have given a show-cause notice to babu and issued a directive not sign the bond.”
Abhishek Angad