Election observers deputed by the Election Commission of India to conduct free and fair elections in Chhattisgarh found themselves under observation by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This was after the state's public works minister Brijmohan Agrawal quipped that the election observers appeared to be acting like players for the Congress rather than as impartial umpires by involving themselves in matters outside their remit. The proximate cause for this allegation was that one of them attended the press conference of a senior BJP leader at the party's state headquarters and took notes of the proceedings, just like a reporter. The observer had attended the press conference to monitor how much the party was spending on refreshments and snacks offered to journalists, and the BJP leaders realised who he was only after he had left.

Observers under observation

Business Standard

The gruesome attack on a woman customer at the ATM in Bangalore should be a wake-up call for the government. That the ATM did not have any security arrangement is a glaring instance of the lack of sensitivity on the part of the banking system. Common sense would suggest that since ATMs carry cash they will always be the target of criminals. As a result of credit cards, debit cards, online banking and ATMs most of the transactions are taking place away from branches, saving costs for banks. But bank charges have been going up. Banks can certainly afford to allot security staff at ATMs. If they are still avaricious then they can charge a flat rate of Rs 5 on each ATM transaction. Also, is there really a need to keep ATMs open during the night? How many people would go to an ATM in the middle of the night unless it is a case of, say, a medical emergency? Banks can study the data available on transactions during night. ATMs can be closed from 9 p m to 5 a m with alarm systems. A few centra

Letters: A danger at any time

This refers to Kanika Datta's column "The ascent of luxury" (Swot, November 21). During my childhood, when stainless steel utensils made their appearance, they were considered a status symbol. People used brass vessels for cooking, on which kalai (a sort of coating) was done at regular intervals. Even a radio (Murphy Radio) in those days was a luxury. When Jawaharlal Nehru died neighbours crowded around a radio in someone's house to listen to the news. However, the government now has a myopic view on luxury. Luxury tax is levied on staying even in a two-star hotel. What one gets in return is a place to sleep, bathe, have breakfast, and go about your work in an outstation city. Is getting a place to sleep in a city where you are a visitor a luxury? It is a necessity. What is luxury for one person may be a necessity for the other.Deendayal M Lulla  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (0

Letters: Luxury and necessity

This refers to Vinayak Chatterjee's column "Highway premia revisited" (Infratalk, November 14). While highlighting the reasons to provide support to road developers, the author has cited reasons for stress in executing premium payment-based projects. The fact remains that irrational bidding by road developers was a key failure on their part. They later used the camouflage of environmental clearances to back out. When the central government, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and road developers were fully aware of past experiences why were World Bank studies not considered in framing the bid documents between NHAI and developers?We support the need for a permanent regulator for this sector rather than committees. It is important that a road regulator has a wider definition and mandate to cover road transport and highways. The larger issues of road safety, quality and performance of vehicles, and free flow of traffic have been relegated to a section of officialdom in the Mi

Letters: Building a road regulator

The string of sexual harassment cases that have surfaced in the last few days has forced political parties in the election season to take a stand on an issue they would otherwise have not commented upon. First, the law intern who went public with the alleged harassment by a Supreme Court judge; then the unearthing of tapes of alleged snooping of a young woman by Amit Shah, and the most recent, Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal's alleged sexual harassment of a team reporter. Not only was Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit grilled at a press conference on how such issues should be effectively addressed and what her government was doing to step up security for women; the Mahila Congress led by its president Shobha Oza joined a candle march titled "Spare No One Candle March"to lend support to the  victims of sexual harassment.

'Spare no one' candle march

The transition in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Delhi unit might appear smooth, but the leadership within the party is divided between the Vijay Goel camp and the others, who are currently rallying behind Harsh Vardhan. However, behind the scenes, the party accepts that Vardhan, who has been a past president of the party, is a lightweight. So, in their door-to-door campaigning, leaders are invoking Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's name to get votes, while Vardhan's name is nowhere to be heard. When asked why, a senior leader of the party said, "The other day my driver asked me: Who Vardhan was."

A name to conjure...

Chinese billionaires are the world's youngestBillionaires in China are relatively young. The average age of that country's 157 billionaires is 53, nine years less than the world average, according to the 2013 Billionaire Census by Wealth-X and UBS.

Dragon warriors

Why are the best books on recent Indian history written abroad?

Empty think tanks

Branching outPrivate sector banks have more than doubled their office count in the country since 2007. In comparison, the number of offices of public sector banks increased by 45.5 per cent during this period. Foreign banks, with restrictions on their branch expansion, widened their office network in India by 22.8 per cent in the last six years. However, public sector banks continue to have the largest share, 69 per cent, in the total number of offices of commercial banks in India

Taking stock

Your thoughts on Anand?He is a great player - he's held the title for so long. I have huge respect for him. I hope he will be back in the Candidates next year. We'll meet in Zurich next year.Your impressions of Game 10?I had a very solid position, no weaknesses. Then he drifted a bit and I thought I should try and win as long as there's no risk. Finally, it got too complicated - so I decided to shut it down and force a draw.I just thought ed6 was winning - missed something. Yes, Nc3 is very strong there instead.Impressions on winning the title?It feels good. It has been tough, both here and in London at the Candidates.The match eventually played out to my strengths. It was a great event - I'm honoured and happy to have won.Will you reveal who your seconds are?Well, everyone knows that Norwegian GM Jon-Ludvig Hammer helped and there were others. I thank them all.What was the turning point in the match?Game 4 gave me a very good feeling. I felt I seized the initiative and I also felt we

People crack when you put enough pressure: Magnus Carlsen

What are your impressions on Game 10?It was an interesting position. I simply blundered when I played Qg5 and he got the e5 thrust. After that, the knight ending is very dangerous - I can't tell you the precise evaluation but I had calculated that the line he played was drawn.And what about the match?In general, (Magnus) Carlsen clearly dominated. At the start I had hoped that I had the ability to last out long games without mistakes creeping in. But the way I lost Game 5 was a heavy blow - just what I couldn't afford to happen. Before that, I had hoped that I would not be afraid of errors in long games. After that, it got worse and worse. I guess when it rains, it pours.I think you should all just congratulate him. The mistakes I made did not come of themselves; he managed to provoke mistakes and full credit for that.Will you put Game 3 in context as a possible turning point?In hindsight, maybe. While I was obviously disappointed at the time, I didn't attach excessive significance to

I guess I managed not to understand either him or me: Viswanathan Anand

Sahara has always managed to get the best of the legal fraternity to fight by its side

Sahara's legal eagles

Why reports of snooping from Gujarat are so disquieting

Business Standard takes a look at the assets of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

Ashok Gehlot: Asset watch

Applying economic theory to airline regulation

Airline games

If you expected Harsh Vardhan to dominate the website of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since he is the party's chief ministerial candidate, you are in for a surprise. The website flaunts pictures of Vijay Goel (pictured), who till recently had declared himself the party's chief ministerial choice and had to be mollified with presidentship of the state unit. However, this confusion (and ardent rivalry) within the BJP's Delhi unit is not limited to its website. Even the office of the Delhi BJP is decorated with Goel's pictures. From the looks of it, Goel is clearly not inclined to give Vardhan a smooth walkover.

Picture of disunity

Apropos Rahul Jacob's column "The private public sector" (Country Code, November 16), organisations in India, whether public or private sector, or multinational corporations are not known for good customer service. Whether you go to private malls, public-sector hotels or foreign banks, an unwelcoming raised eyebrow greets you rather than a smile. A major reason for such apathy is that customers are not yet keen to exercise their rights and choices (of supplier) emphatically. The Consumer Protection Act has failed to energise them because of rigid procedural requirements and the subsequent delays in getting justice.A prime source of customer satisfaction is the speed and care with which complaints are dealt with. However, this responsibility is outsourced to people with no training and aptitude for the work. So, when you find your way to a human voice after answering questions on toll-free numbers, a sympathetic hearing or prompt service is not guaranteed.Mahatma Gandhi had equated a cu

Letters: Customer is God?

This refers to the editorial "Ignoring values" (November 19). The recent elections in the Maldives have been controversial. Former president Mohamed Nasheed, who was an ally of India, has lost. India and the Maldives need each other to cement their relations since India had sent its military to the Maldives to avert a coup. Defence cooperation between the two should be strengthened further since China is looking to set up a naval base in the Maldives. Maldivian politicians should not fiddle with Indo-Maldivian relations, as they did recently, when the judiciary in the Maldives was dragged into political infighting. We should have acted swiftly when an Indian company was ousted from the Maldives due to politics.Deendayal M Lulla,  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201 · E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

Letters: Maldivian ties

M J Antony's column "Putting first things last" (Out of Court, November 20) highlights the limitations of the Supreme Court in handling cases that need proper interpretation of the Constitution. The current chaos in society, rampant corruption and disenchantment of citizens have added tremendously to the workload of the judiciary. Today public interest litigations are filed even for small incidents to delay genuine action from the executive. The release of films that have been cleared by the Censor Board are delayed on flimsy grounds. The lawyer fraternity in India is raking in the moolah in the process. The Supreme Court can give strong judgments in some general matters to drastically reduce the number of cases in other courts. The apex court has to find ways to tackle such alarming situations so that it gets more time to consider other pending cases that need hearing from constitutional benches. The court may fix one week every month for such important cases, so that its timely relev

Letters: The apex court

Announcing the party's manifesto ahead of the Assembly polls, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit (pictured) glowingly described the city's approximately 500,000 migrants as making the capital a "mini -India ka tasveer" - a reflection of mini-India. She promised the migrant votebank that if voted back to power, she would provide adequate housing for them and better facilities. Seriously? Remember, this is the same Dikshit who ascribed the city's rising crime graph in the city to migrants and even went on to blame them for the increasing rape cases against the backdrop of the December 16 tragedy last year. Some time back she had also lashed out at all those who "come to the city and never go back, burdening the infrastructure here". Now, on the brink of a tough election, Dikshit welcomed them warmly, saying, "It's good that those who come to Dilli, stay on and make it home."

Dikshit's migrant affections

Sachin Tendulkar has retired, but his legion of fans are still going strong. Last week, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was described as the "Tendulkar of the Indian economy". This week, it was former power secretary Anil Razdan's turn to face the Sachin benchmark. Razdan is respected in bureaucratic circles for his deep understanding of the energy industry. At an annual event on Thursday, Additional Secretary Ashok Lavasa stood up to speak after a long and detailed speech by Razdan. "It is always difficult to speak after Mr Razdan. It is almost like batting after Sachin Tendulkar," he told the audience before starting his speech.

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