WIN – WIN

I recently read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. In this book, he emphasizes developing certain habits to become a better version of yourself.

One of these habits is Think Win-Win. This principle suggests that when two parties are involved in a situation, decisions should be made in a way that benefits both sides, ensuring mutual success and cooperation.

While this principle is easy to understand, applying it in today’s world can be quite challenging.

Ideally, everyone should practice Think Win-Win, but in reality, some individuals or professions rely on it more frequently than others.

This raises an important question: Who should be the top user of this principle? If we were to rank them based on how often they apply it in their daily lives, who would be at the top?

From my point of view, the government should be at the top of the list.

Why so??

The answer lies in the definition of the government, i.e., of the people, by the people and for the people.

However, in reality, someone else seems to hold that position. My few experiences with government made me say that.

In this blog-cum-debate/thought-sharing post, I’m sharing one of my experiences and perspectives on the situation.

Lets start…………

Wait wait wait !!!!!!

Before going further let me share one of my dominating trait……

These days, the phrase “My life, my rules” is quite common, but it doesn’t really suit me. But in my case there is a slight change, i.e., “My life, no rules”, because in most of the cases I choose to go with the flow.

Let’s dive in…

In India, road safety and pollution have been major concerns. To tackle these issues, the government has taken several steps, one of which was The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. This act, which came into effect on September 1, 2019, introduced stricter penalties for traffic violations, aiming to improve road safety and ensure better compliance.

Like any major amendment, this too received mixed reactions from the public. Personally, I was in favor of it. As an Operations and Maintenance Manager, I believed that imposing hefty fines was an effective way to ensure compliance and get work done efficiently.

At that time, I didn’t own a vehicle myself.

But my thinking that hefty fines is an effective way to ensure compliances got changed.

How?

One day, I had to prepare an SLA (Service Level Agreement). I saw this as an opportunity to apply my learnings from The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019—the idea that higher penalties prevent violations and delays. So, I drafted a strict penalty structure and presented it to my team lead.

To my surprise, he rejected it immediately after seeing the high penalty amounts. I tried to convince him:

“Why are you not approving this? Even the government imposes hefty fines! This is the only way to ensure timely service from third parties.”

His response was a game-changer for me.

He explained that when two parties are involved, decisions should be mutually beneficial, ensuring success and cooperation on both sides—just like the win-win principle suggests. While penalties were necessary, they shouldn’t be extreme or one-sided. Instead of relying solely on fines, we should focus on other factors to improve service quality.

That perspective made complete sense. I revised the penalty structure accordingly and successfully applied the win-win principle. 😃

Fast forward to October 2023—I purchased my first-ever asset: a two-wheeler. Since I was new to vehicle ownership, I wasn’t familiar with all the documentation requirements.

A few days later, I learned about the PUC (Pollution Under Control) Certificate and its validity period. New vehicles come with a PUC certificate valid for one year from the date of purchase or registration.

Time passed, and after a year, my PUC certificate expired. I knew I had to renew it. I also knew the fine was hefty—but I didn’t know the exact amount.

I kept delaying it, thinking I‘d get it done soon. No big deal. As a vehicle is new, there is no chance that it can pollute the environment.

But as they say, life had other plans…

In November, as Delhi’s pollution levels soar, conversations about AQI (Air Quality Index) dominate everywhere. To combat the rising pollution, the government enforces GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) Stages 1 to 4. Along with these measures, traffic police intensify their checking across the city.

I got stopped by the traffic police, and as expected, I hadn’t renewed my PUC certificate. As usual, I stayed silent while they did their job, and I was fined. The officer didn’t mention the exact amount—he just said I would receive the challan online. I simply nodded and went straight to a pollution check center to get my PUCC renewed.

A few days later, I checked my challan online, and what I saw left me in complete shock—a fine of ₹10,000! I hadn’t expected it to be that high. My mind went blank. I was always prepared to pay the fine since my PUCC had expired, but ₹10,000? That was way beyond what I had imagined. As per resources available on Net, only 2–3% of the population pays tax. I, being one of them, got so much shock from the Rs. 10,000 fine that I cannot imagine how much pain a non-taxpayer individual gets on receiving such fines.

Now, let’s break this situation down.

Why was I fined? Because I didn’t have a valid PUC certificate. Fair enough.

Why is a PUCC required? To determine whether a vehicle is polluting the environment or not. Makes sense.

But when I was fined, did they check if my vehicle was actually polluting? NO

That’s my point—I wasn’t fined for causing pollution—I was fined simply for missing the deadline set to prevent it.

I admit I was at fault and deserved a fine, but it shouldn’t have been one-sided. In this case, the government followed a Win-Lose approach—the government wins, while citizens lose.

What I believe is that the government should adopt a Win-Win approach.

How?

1️⃣ Make the fine reasonable. A two-wheeler costs at least ₹60,000, so a ₹10,000 fine is disproportionate and unfair.

2️⃣ Structure the fine in two parts:

• Part A: A penalty for missing the deadline, applicable to everyone who fails to renew their PUCC on time.
• Part B: If caught, the vehicle should be tested. If it’s polluting, an additional fine should be imposed. If it isn’t, there should be no extra fine.

The Win-Win solution I’ve proposed may not be the only option, but the government should prioritize fairness. After all, a government is meant to be of the people, by the people, and for the people.

P.S.:

If you’ve read this thoroughly, drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your perspective!