The lead editorial Standard deviations (Business Standard, November 16) raises an extremely valid concern regarding lack of standardisation in India, be it in product rating (as in appliances) or packaging or even construction material. But even more important than the absence of standards is the non-adherence to standards wherever they have been laid down. Most electrical plugs and sockets, to which the editorial alluded, are manufactured by small units, which do not always stick to the specifications. Misfits result in having to use force for connections or loose fits. The wires and other fittings such as fuses are also of the same nature, which is the prime reason for so many fires due to short circuits.
Some years ago, standards packaging sizes for most food items, both in liquid and solid form, were prescribed along with the statement of maximum retail prices. These were supposed to help the buyer come to sensible conclusions based on unit prices. They were observed for a very brief period. Now a bewildering variety prevails, and the average buyer needs to be adept at mental math to compute and compare unit prices! Even strips and containers prescription pills and capsules have varying quantities. The placement of the price and best before information is more often than not indistinct, adding to the confusion. The buyer really needs to beware. Most countries now require supermarkets to display unit prices, but that is not the practice in India.
In case of the currency notes, it is not merely the size that is causing the problem of fitting into ATMs. I am given to understand that the sensors, which detect the value of the banknote, also need modifications. That makes the point of the editorial all the more valid.
Two small points of difference. Indian Railways technically have four gauges, but for all practical purposes, broad gauge (1.676 m) now prevails, thanks to an initially unpopular and disruptive unigauge project initiated by Jaffer Sharief, the rail minister in the Narasimha Rao government. That has improved connectivity and mobility of men and material across the country immeasurably and led to substantial multiplier effects, as did the Golden Quadrilateral project a decade later. The Delhi Metro was initially compelled to opt for the same broad gauge for Phase I. But three of the Phase II lines and all subsequent metro projects all over the country are of the standard gauge (1.435 m). Contrary to the editorial, the use of broad gauge has not really hampered the procurement of rolling stock or locomotives from abroad, as mostly only changes in bogeys (the underlying frame housing the wheels) are involved. Witness the fact that the Talgo train which recently underwent trials in India was an existing one with a broad gauge wheel frame.
Shreekant Sambrani, Baroda
Shreekant Sambrani, Baroda
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