These days one asks this question very often – my dear friend, are some rules formed for the people to violate at will?.
We all know that smoking in public places is against the law. Rules are there forbidding it. For those who are doubtful as to which is a public place and which is not, there is an approved list of public places. I don’t know whether you have seen the list, but I haven’t. The rule is there and so are the smokers. They can be seen everywhere. Poor fellows, they may not be knowing they are doing it in a public place; where is that list?.
Even a fool won’t take a bus station for a private place. There is no need to go through the list of public places to know that. So, do the smokers abstain from smoking at least when they are in a bus station teeming with people. No sir, not in this country. We are a free people. Don’t you fool know that Gandhiji wrested freedom out of the British in 1947 and passed it on to every one of us, including those who were yet to be born?. Ever since, we are ruling ourselves. Ours is a democratic country and we are free to do whatever we want to, then why hesitate?.
But, smoking in public places is against the rule and is punishable. Okay, let it be like that, but have you heard of any smoker getting caught red-handed and brought before the law for punishment ?. No, never. Have the smokers abandoned public places for the act once and for all ?. No chance. Then, what has gone wrong here, is this rule formed for violation ?.
There is a similar rule preventing spitting in public places( in the state of Kerala there is a high court directive making spitting in public places an offence. I don’t know whether there is any such rule in other states). What has come out of it ?. Nothing. It has also met with the same fate and we now really doubt whether there is such a rule at all.
There are rules to limit the speed of vehicles. Oh, I know that friend- 70 kmph for cars, 60 for heavy vehicles and so on. There is another rule which makes installing a speed limiter mechanism in heavy vehicles like buses, trucks, tipper lorries etc. Thank god, how considerate our law-makers are towards the safety of us poor fellows!. Every heavy vehicle has a speed limiter fitted. Good, but one wonders how these tipper lorries and buses fly past us at lightning speed and cause most of the accidents. What happens to the speed limiters – simple, they are kept disabled from the very moment they are installed. No authority checks to ensure they are kept always functional. Now, who can be accused of dereliction, the poor speed limiting gadget or the officials concerned ?.
We all know bandh is banned by the court. But, what is the use ?. A number of bandhs are still being conducted by political organizations every month, using force to close shops , factories, offices etc, attacking employees who report for work, blocking all traffic, destructing vehicles they find on the road (How dare you take your vehicle to the road when we are conducting a bandh?. Sorry sir, I did not do it on purpose. I have great fear for you politicians and organizations. I never want to defy you in any matter and am always ready to remain at home very obediently on a bandh-day. But, today my wife got seriously ill and I have to take her to a hospital. Just see how sick she is. But, they won’t relent. Let your wife die, who bothers?. They will pull both you and your wife out of your vehicle and set it on fire. That is what you call democracy, my dear friend)
There is a court order banning all bandhs(in the state of Kerala it is banned by the hon’ble High Court). Still they conduct as many bandhs as they want causing much misery and hardship to the general public for whom they claim they are doing this sort of vandalism. How can they do it, defying the court ?. Very simple; they have changed the name. Now, they call it hartal and not bandh. They always have their way, one way or another. And it is we the hapless general public, affiliated to no organizations that always suffer.
The question still remains – are these rules formed to violate ?.
