Why "public servants" are treated like Kings and Lords in India
If someone wants to understand the "unease of doing business & living" in India, a 45-50km drive in and around the city these days is a great idea. You would find long queues of vehicles at FASTag distribution counters. Last late evening, I found many poor taxi and small commercial vehicle drivers waiting for their turn to obtain a "prepaid card". A couple of them said that they joined the queue at 7:30 in the morning. Their turn did not come till 10AM. They left and rejoined the queue at 8:30PM. They were not sure if they would get it by the night. In principle, the FASTag is a "prepaid card" that is used to pay toll charges across the country. This is a substitute for cash payment at toll booths. The primary purpose of this facility is to reduce the time spent by vehicles at toll booths. The secondary objectives may include (i) preventing the leakages in the toll collection; (ii) encouraging digital payments; (c) making toll ...