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Ban All of Them

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Ed Nair
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Ed Nair

The recent rape incident in NCR involving the app-based taxi operator Uber has brought aggregation-based business models into the focus of lawmakers. Aggregation-based business models are based on aggregating demand and supply for products or services and enabling the link up of the buyer and seller. The core enabler for this model is a platform that allows the aggregation and link-up to happen. Technology (Web and cloud) has helped the creation of this platform and mobile devices have helped access to the platform.

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Our lawmakers or national level khaps don’t understand the business model and they called for a ban of many app-based taxi services in the capital and elsewhere. If the same logic is used, here are a few services that should also be banned:

  • Makemytrip,Cleartrip, Yatra, Redbus: You book a ticket through these apps and one flight personnel misbehaves with you. So ban Makemytrip, Cleartrip, Yatra and all travel sites or else the employees of all airlines should be authorized and certified to be of good character.
  • Zomato, Tripadvisor: You locate a restaurant and the waiter molests you at the restaurant. You chose a hotel for your next vacation, but the hotel employee assaulted you during your stay there. So ban Zomato and Tripadvisor or else all the employees of restaurants and hotels listed there should be authorized and certified to be of good character.
  • Olx, Quikr: You sold your old TV through these sites, when the buyer came to pick up the TV, he misbehaved with you. So ban all classifieds sites or else all the people who post on these sites should be authorized and certified to be of good character.
  • Magicbricks, 99acres: You located an apartment for rent through one of these sites, the broker physically molested you in the apartment that he took you to. So ban all property sites and all brokers and employees of real estate companies should be authorized and certified to be of good character.

With so many certifications required, there would be the need to for a department and a ministry for character certification.

But why only target the websites? If you went to a store in the shopping mall and one of the store assistants molested you, should you not shut the entire mall? If you got married through an ad in the newspaper and your spouse subjects you to physical abuse, shouldn’t the newspaper be shut down?

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