Statement:
Long queues are seen outside the electricity bill payment counters on \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\) of each month, as \(15^{th}\) of each month is the last date for payment of electricity bills. Citizens have lodged several complaints with the electricity board regarding this difficulty in payment.
Courses of Action:
(I) The electricity board should set up additional counters for payment collection on \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\) of each month, to make it easier for citizens.
(II) The electricity board should increase the penalty to be paid after the specified last date.
Electricity Bill Payment Queues: Courses of Action
This question presents a situation where citizens encounter significant difficulties due to long queues forming outside electricity bill payment counters, particularly on the \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\) of each month. The \(15^{th}\) is identified as the final date for electricity bill payments, and numerous complaints have been registered by citizens with the electricity board concerning this issue.
Statement Analysis: Understanding the Problem
The statement clearly outlines a recurring problem related to the process of paying electricity bills:
- Core Issue: Citizens face challenges paying bills because of extensive queues.
- Peak Period: These long queues are observed specifically on the \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\) of every month.
- Contributing Factor: The \(15^{th}\) of the month is the stipulated deadline for bill payments.
- Customer Feedback: The electricity board has received multiple complaints from citizens regarding this payment difficulty.
Course of Action I: Enhancing Payment Infrastructure
This proposed course of action suggests that the electricity board should implement measures to increase the capacity for payment collection during the critical period.
- Proposed Action: Set up additional payment counters exclusively on the \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\) of each month.
- Objective: To streamline the payment process and alleviate the congestion experienced by citizens.
- Logical Alignment: This action directly addresses the stated problem of long queues and payment difficulties. By providing more service points during peak demand, the board can manage the influx of customers more effectively, thereby easing the burden on citizens and responding to their complaints. This is a practical, solution-oriented step.
Course of Action II: Increasing Penalties
This course of action focuses on deterring late payments by imposing stricter penalties.
- Proposed Action: Raise the penalty amount for customers who pay their bills after the \(15^{th}\) of the month.
- Intended Outcome: To encourage timely payments and reduce the number of people attempting to pay at the last minute.
- Logical Disconnect: The problem described is the *difficulty in paying on time* due to queues, not necessarily a reluctance to pay or an intention to pay late. While increasing penalties might reduce the number of late payments, it does not solve the immediate issue of long queues on the \(14^{th}\) and \(15^{th}\). In fact, it could potentially worsen the situation if more people rush to pay before the penalty increase, or it might seem punitive to citizens already facing logistical hurdles. Therefore, this action does not logically follow as a solution to the specific problem presented.
Conclusion: Determining the Logical Follow-up
Evaluating both courses of action against the problem statement:
- Course of Action I is a direct, practical, and customer-centric response that tackles the root cause of the congestion – insufficient service points during peak hours.
- Course of Action II addresses a potential consequence of non-payment (late fees) rather than the operational difficulty of making timely payments. It does not resolve the core issue of long queues.
Consequently, only Course of Action I logically follows as an appropriate measure to address the difficulties faced by citizens in paying their electricity bills.
Similar Questions
In this question, a statement is given followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true, and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the given courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
A major fire broke out this afternoon in a mall in Jaipur, causing several casualties amongst the people present inside.
Courses of Action:
The police must check to see if the fire safety regulations were followed by the mall. Traffic police must divert traffic away from the fire site, to enable evacuation of people.- Read the given statement and decide which of the suggested courses of action logically follow(s) on the basis of the information given in the statement.
Statement:
During natural calamities, many departments blame each other for any wrong-doing due to overlapping functions of these departments.
Course of Action:
1. Only one department should be there to take charge during natural calamities.
2. All departments should be held responsible for wrong-doings and punished. In this question, a statement is followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
Mr. X, a teacher of a high school, often beats his students.Courses of Action:
I. Students should complain about this matter to the principal of the school.
II. Students should quit the school and take admission in another school.In this question, a statement is followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
Due to water pipeline work planned in Grant Road for the next 3 days, the road will be closed for traffic till further notice.
Courses of Action:
(I) Traffic police should increase the number of personnel present at Grant Road to physically coordinate traffic diversion effectively.
(II) Traffic police should issue a notification in major newspapers regarding traffic diversions and alternate routes that can be taken by the general public till the Grant Road closure continues.In this question, a statement is followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
Despite the teacher's several warnings, a student was caught cheating in the exam.
Courses of Action:
I. The student should be expelled from the exam, and his paper should be cancelled.
II. The teacher should leave the student with another warning.
In this question, a statement is followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
Severe congestion is seen on the service road outside the apartment complex between 7.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. everyday due to many school buses from different schools picking up children from gate of the apartment complex. This is leading to a traffic jam, delaying many people travelling for work at this time.
Courses of Action:
(I) No school buses should be permitted on the service road from 7.30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
(II) School buses should be permitted to enter the society gates.
In this question, a statement is followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
The price of wheat has been steadily rising across the country since the last 3 weeks, due to shortages reported from major wholesale markets.
Courses of Action:
(I) The Government should set up an urgent investigation to check the reasons for the shortages.
(II) The Government should provide oil at subsidised rates to citizens till wheat supplies are restored.
Important Questions from Course of Action
- In this question, a statement is given followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true, and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the given courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement:
Reports indicate that fish populations in River Y have declined sharply due to excessive fishing and industrial pollution.
Courses of Action:
I. Fishing in River Y should be regulated for at least six months.
II. Industries should be ordered to treat waste before discharging into River Y. In this question, a statement is given followed by two courses of action, numbered I and II. You must assume everything in the statement to be true, and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the given courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement: Many students in rural schools fail to clear the basic reading and writing tests due to lack of trained teachers and poor infrastructure.Courses of Action:
I. Immediate recruitment and training of teachers should be carried out in rural areas.
II. All students failing the tests should be expelled from schools to maintain quality.- Read the given statement and courses of action carefully and decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) from the statement.
Statement:
If none of the employees submit their work report by tomorrow, then the monthly project will be in a crisis.
Courses of action:
i. The date of submission of work report must be extended.
ii. Some employees must speed up and submit their work report by tomorrow.
iii. The cause of late submission of work report by most employees must be figured out and proper counter-measures must be taken. - Read the given statement and courses of action carefully and decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) from the statement.
Statement:
The weather bureau has recently forecasted next week's weather of Kashmir in which it said that there is going to be a heavy snowfall for the whole week.
Courses of Action:
(i) The weather bureau should propagate the information throughout Kashmir through various platforms.
(ii) The civic bodies must make arrangements to remove snow from roads.
(iii) The news must be stopped from spreading outside the state. - Read the given statement and courses of action carefully and decide which of the courses of action logically follow(s) from the statement.
Statement:
Many cases of children's death are reported from AES (Acute encephalitis Syndrome) in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.
Courses of Action:
I. The question should be raised in legislative assembly and health minister's resignation should be demanded with immediate effect.
II. A team of doctors should be rushed to the affected areas.
