THERE were long Eid holidays of five days recently, although in these challenging economic times, we might have limited them to four, if not three, days. This was immediately followed by the Labour Day holiday, and there were offices and educational institutions across the country that remained non-functional for almost a week. Is this really what the country needs right now?

The funny thing about the Labour Day holiday is that the only people who do not get a holiday happen to be labourers themselves, especially the daily-wagers.

As an indirect victim of such lengthy holiday season, I received the water bill on April 26 after the designated Eid holidays. But the banks refused to accept payment against the bill, arguing that the due date had already passed. I was told that the amount would be part of the next month’s bill along with a late payment penalty.

The same thing happened with the telephone landline bill. Whose fault is it? If the government announces public holidays and a utility bill does not arrive before the holidays, how can it be the fault of the consumer?

There should be exemption from late payment, especially when the bills have arrived late due to public holidays. All late payments should be reimbursed.

When I was in the United States back in the day, I once put a coin in a public telephone machine, but call did not go through. I received a check for 25 cents in my mail with a 50 cent stamp on it. Such is business ethics and honesty in the US, and here, in the land of the pure, we have to pay late payment penalty for no fault of ours.

Dr Mumtaz Lakhani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2023