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Memories
of an ordinary bureatcrat :: 50 :: The end of the road (Part 1)
As
we sat cooped up in the plane for almost two hours a train of thoughts passed
through my mind. I was going to take over as a Member of the Board which was
the most that we could get to. But currently departmental officers were
becoming secretaries. Things seemed to have opened up considerably. When I was
a probationer the same man who tarried over my transfer back to Delhi from
Kolkata had told me at Nagpur in 1962 that there was no future for me and that
I was going to retire as a probationer. Obviously, it was a joke but he too,
perhaps, saw no future for himself. But, later, there we were: he working as
Secretary and I as a Deputy Director General. Even my second brother had told
me that I could at best go up to the Junior Administrative Grade – a level that
was four levels below the one that I retired from.
Nobody
could foresee the changes that came through during those thirty-odd years.
Although our growth rate was laughed at as a Hindu Rate of growth of 3.5% yet
the government did well in boosting up the economy with all round development.
In the field of communication it was planning that was the trick and when I
entered the service planning for expansion had just commenced. We harvested the
results as we went along. The data that is touted today about the number of post
offices – around 150000 – was all the result of planning and when the ground
level got spread out the superstructure too got fleshed out. Throwing one’s
mind backwards one can imagine how miserable a condition that the British had
left us in before they finally said good bye. A man in a village had to walk
miles to get to a post office. It must have been a herculean task for our
economists and planners to pull the economy up by sheer boot straps.
The
day I was to join I was told that Secretary was heading towards Australia and
that I should take care nothing untoward happened. He was away for more than a
week and nothing untoward happened. During the interregnum I found that I was appointed
Member in-charge of planning and development. However, because of shrinkage of
allotment of resources there was no scope for any planning or development. The
work relating development was that of computerization and that was all being
looked after by Secretary. He, obviously, did not wish to shed this item of
work for reasons known to only him.
I
went and told him that it was becoming very embarrassing for me as in meetings
with private sector men I was introduced as Member in-charge of development but
when they asked me what developmental work I was doing I could hardly specify
any. I asked him either to share developmental work like induction of
technology or, in the alternative, change my designation so that I could sit in
my room and twiddle my thumbs in peace. I had to put it straight that if there
was no resolution of the matter to my satisfaction I would be compelled to
approach the minister or the Cabinet Secretary, or both.
He
was taken aback and said that he would not part with computerisation of the
department. I said, he needn’t give me anything and keep everything with
himself but the condition would be that he would have to have my designation
changed. I came away and after some time the internal phone rang. It was the
Secretary. He said he would pass down the induction of satellite technology.
Though it was only a fig leaf I said, fair enough.
I
never imagined that I would have to fight some more, though without any gain.
Some officers came and told me that the five-yearly Congress of the Universal
Postal Union was being held at Seoul, South Korea. The delegation generally
includes the Minister, Secretary, a member or two of the Board and the DDG
in-charge of international (postal) relations. What the officers conveyed was
this year no member was going, i.e. I would not go and instead the Additional
Secretary in the Department of Telecom – a Postal officer on deputation – would
be going. The Addl. Secretary was known for his skills in maneuvering things in
his favour because of which he spent around 20 years on deputation in Delhi. He
was a boot-licker of politicians and he would do anything to please them.
Soon
the President of our Service association showed up. He narrated the same story
and was vehemently opposed to the inclusion in the delegation of the Telecom
man. He feared that this would set a wrong precedent as it had never happened
that the UPU Congress was attended by a non-postal man. He wanted me to do
something. I knew the futility of it all and yet I said I would go and lodge my
protest with the Minister.
I
first went to the Secretary and asked him whether he knew of the developments
regarding the delegation to Seoul. He said he knew and when questioned whether
he had advised the minister against including the Telecom man he said he had
not done that. I had to give him a mouthful and told him he had failed to
uphold the interests of the Department and its officers. I then went to the
Minister and asked him when I was sitting in the adjoining building as a Member
of the Board how was he taking a Telecom official to Seoul? In reply he said he
did not “visualize” me and that next time he would keep me in mind. I had to
tell him there was no next time and that he was not properly advised by the
Secretary and that what he had done was wrong. He got annoyed and never spoke
to me again.
A
favourite of the Secretary had been transferred to Chandigarh when the
militancy their ruled high. He had a government house in Delhi which he had not
vacated as his family was residing in it. After a specified period the
government started charging market rent which was in thousands. A proposal was
made out for the Accommodation Committee of the Parliament to allow retention
by him of the house on usual terms as Punjab was highly disturbed and lives of
the members of his family would not be safe. I saw the untenability of the
proposal as the officer’s boss, the Chief PMG, was residing in Chandigarh with
his family and that too in the busy Sector 22.
And,
yet a proposal was made out which was to be defended in front of Central ministers
one of whom, NKP Salve, was the chairman of the committee. As the matter came
up Mr. Salve asked me whether the officer had been asked to control law and
order. As this was not within his purview I half-heartedly explained how he
could not move his family. Nobody agreed and Mr. Salve said hundreds of
officers were working in Punjab despite the militancy. A prince-ling from
Dhenkanal who too was a minister came and told me that I did not defend the
case properly. I told him I found it like defending the indefensible. But the
whole process was very embarrassing.
(To be continued)
*photo from internet
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