New Delhi

Yes, Air India….

It was after a long gap of 30 years that we boarded any flight, first in the morning by a private airline from Delhi to Pune, and on the return journey from Pune to Delhi in the evening by an Air India flight (IC 850) on November 5.

Contrary to the popular perception that private sector airlines provide better service than the public sector airlines, Air India proved to be far better in terms of staff courtesy and passenger facilities.

The private airline did not provide even basic requirements such as ear-plugs, pillows or a blanket. Even coffee and tea were on sale. In sharp contrast, all these were readily provided on demand by the national carrier topped by a nutritious dinner served to every passenger. Even “Jain food” (without onion and garlic) was available in addition to the usual choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dinner. Interestingly, the cost of the food was included in the fare charged by the airline — that, too, at a price lower than that of the private airline in the same time-slot!

The courteous conduct by the attending staff both on ground and aboard the flight was excellent.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal and Madhu Agrawal,

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

With the demise of B. R. Chopra the other day an era has come to an end. A living legend who gave us some of the most memorable films of our times, he towered over Indian cinema as an emperor for the better part of the 20th Century. Over the years he was associated with 40 extraordinary films in various capacities as writer, director and producer. Each of his creations was unusual and unforgettable in so many ways.

Who can forget his masterpiece, Dhool Ka Phool, way back in 1959 and the stirring song, “Tu Hindu banega naa Musalman banega, Insan ki aulaad hai Insan banega….”? He was at his best in directing courtroom scenes, murder mysteries and rib-tickling comedies. “Naya Daur”, “Kanoon”, “Waqt”, “Ek Hi Rasta”, “Sadhna”, “Insaaf Ka Tarazu”, “Nikaah” and “Pati, Patni Aur Woh” are just a few of his masterpieces.

And why only films? Who can forget his immense contribution to Indian television as he went on to make our greatest epic, “Mahabharat”? It was the most wonderful gift he gave to his country. We will miss you, Sir!

Dr. Naresh Raj,

34, Model Town, Patiala.

I own a Toyota Innova and am writing to register my grievance with the company and caution those who happen to own this car.

I was returning home with my family from a marriage party late at night on October 9. Around 2 a.m. one of the tyres got punctured and I tried using the spanner provided by the company in the tool kit. To my utter shock and horror, the spanner broke after opening four out of five nuts. Since it was so late in the night, I had to drive the car in the same condition to a safer place.

The rod provided in the tool kit to raise the jack was in three-four pieces and the user was supposed to make it one. The rod is very light and the nuts so loose that it may disassemble while rotating the jack to raise the car. My plight can well be imagined.

I wrote to Lalit Sharma (C.R.M., Galaxy Motors) to redress my grievance. Thereafter I tried to contact him over the telephone thrice but he did not attend any of my calls. After that, I met him on October 22, and to my horror he told me coldly that he had spoken to the company and they could replace the broken spanner as a courtesy.

Having bought the car for Rs.9 lakh, I felt cheated for being left at the mercy of the dealer. I want to caution all Toyota car owners to make sure the tool kit is of good quality.

I now look forward to compensation from the company for my badly damaged tyre.

Raj Kumar Arora,

180, Double Storey, New Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi – 110 060.

I filled up several forms on behalf of my family for the Noida Residential Plot Scheme-2004, of which I have proper acknowledgments. None of the names turned up in the general eligible list put up on the Noida Authority site. I am not a defaulter and all my application forms were considered in the draw in 2004 but not this time. I have with me all the acknowledgments, receipts and photocopies of my forms. Moreover, Rs.1,000 per form is still with the Noida Authority.

No one replies to phone calls, e-mails and repeated complaints are not attended to. There is no way to check whether my forms were considered for the draw or not. This raises suspicions over the manner in which the draw took place, even after a reprimand by the Supreme Court.

The names and application numbers are as follows: Basdev Kumar Singhal, 26700; Ashok Kumar Bansal, 71600; Rakesh Kumar, 35079; and Poonam Goyal, 71599. Why were these, considered in the draw held in 2004, not considered this time? Was the draw another scam in the making?

I request the Noida Authority to look into my complaints urgently.

Anurag Singhal,

1/4920, Street No.6, Balbir Nagar Extn., Shahdara, Delhi – 110 032.

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