(In continuation with the last Post of this blog)
2.4 Incident C3 accountable to Conflict of Mind
Many issues relating to essential services such as water supply, electricity supply kept on developing on a regular basis. With the capable team under my command, the issues kept on being resolved on a daily basis. On a particular day during the initial period of my service (may be during the year 1980-8), a typical problem relating to water supply to a residential area of the TES campus developed—water did not flow to that area, though there was adequate quantity of water in the overhead water storage tank. My water-supply team led by my technical supervisor failed to identify the fault and reported to me that there might be a problem in the underground pipeline leading to the affected area of the complex. As reported by my team, the only alternative left to them then was to go for digging the whole underground pipeline for identifying the exact location of the fault on the pipeline. This measure would obviously need appreciable time in addition to substantial cost. At that stage I got confused and by then already two/three days passed by with no pipe-line water to the area affected. We managed the situation by arranging water to the affected residences by providing water through transported water tanks. Before finally deciding as to what to do, I decided to go for a direct physical inspection offull layout length of the under-ground pipeline along with my team including my technical supervisor. My objective of taking up the physical inspection on foot was to ascertain if any sign of the source of pipe leakage could be visibly observed.
We started walking from the site of water storage overhead tank along the layout line looking for signs of water leakages on our way towards the affected area. We came close to the affected area and got no source of water leakages anywhere. Then, very close to the affected residential area, I saw a big wheel gate-valve. We went to the exact location of the said valve and I enquired—Is it closed or open? The prompt reply came from one of my team members——It is fully open Sir. I came up with my next query—–Did you try to close it? Reply came—- No Sir, we did not touch it. It remains always in open-position. I did not know then the exact mechanical arrangement of the gate valve. But the basic principle of the existence of an opening, which can be closed or opened necessarily with the help of the wheel, was a common sense. I then advised my team members to tightly close the valve by turning the wheel. Accordingly, they did. After a minute or so, I asked them to fully open the valve and asked them to check if water started flowing into the residence located nearest to the location of the gate valve. One of my team members went running to the residence and on checking, he shouted from the residence itself——Oh, water has come. All the members of my team then present at the spot were surprised and looked at me with a heavy heart of relief. I immediately asked them—-Have you understood what went wrong? Prompt response was a forceful ‘No’ from all present. I then explained to them—–What happened was that some debris flowing with water through the pipeline clogged the opening of the gate valve. On closing the valve, the debris clogging the opening got crushed and on reopening the same, the crushed debris got cleared off by the pressure of the in-flowing water. I too heaved a sigh of great relief of my tension and came back to my office. Sitting back in my office, I clearly remember, the first thing I did was a silent prayer offered to the Almighty thanking Him for giving me a mind to act reasonably under a situation of crisislike the one briefly described through this incident. Had I avoided the physical inspection (as stated) and approved the suggestion of digging the underground pipeline (as put up to me by my team), it would have caused a heavy loss of both time and money. This incident truly strengthened my belief to the effect that the reason leading to an engineering problem needs to be basically understood by an engineer before suggesting/approving the remedial measure thereof.
2.5 Incident C4 accountable to Conflict of Interest
The electricity supply to the whole campus of TES was to be ensured 24×7. To ensure this aspect of essential services, there was a full-fledged Power House handled by 7/8 power-house attendants working on shift-duties. This power house was also under my control. There were three generators of different capacities for maintaining power supply during the period of non-supply of electricity from the ASEB grid. On one occasion, the necessity of the overhauling of a particular generator came up. There were a number of old parties doing this type of works in TES. Therefore, I got the quotations from those parties for the said work. Even, the lowest quoted expenditure for the job was found to be very high at my end. The matter was discussed with the Director and I was advised to bring in other competent parties, if known to me. Then a party known to me came to my mind. During my research period in IIT, Kharagpur, I met one brilliant undergraduate student from Nagaon (Assam). He was doing his B. Tech in mechanical engineering. Later on, I came to know that he started his own firm for doing different works. He was based in Guwahati after working in a reputed organisation for a certain period. I contacted him and agreed to inspect the generator before taking a decision. Accordingly, he came to TES and the generator concerned was inspected. Eventually, he agreed to take up the work. On my advice, he submitted his quotation for the job. His quoted cost was only Rs.12000/- against around Rs. 60,000/-, as per the lowest quotation from the earlier parties. I put up the quotation to the Director for necessary approval. Having seen the substantial reduction in the quoted cost of this party, he developed some reservation and I was then advised to meet him in his office along with the engineer quoting the reduced cost. On having the discussion, the Director was convinced on his capabilities for successfully executing the job and gave me the required approval. Immediately, the allotment order for the work was issued to the engineer concerned. He accepted the order and assured me to the effect he would start the work after a week. At this stage, I feel like stating the name of the brilliant IITan. He is now Dr. Dilip Sarma, because at a later stage, he obtained a Ph. D. from Tezpur Central University (Assam).
The overhauling of the generator was successfully completed within the allotted time and cost. This action surprised many of TES, since it led to a substantial reduction in the cost, though the action so taken annoyed a section of people including the old parties who were deprived of the opportunities of earning substantially from the execution of similar types of maintenance works. I did not mind this type of situation, since I was determined to encourage the younger talents on one hand and on the other, to fight the Conflict of Interest. While pursuing actions in this direction, the development of the annoyance in the section of people getting affected was quite natural. But the happiest part of this type of situation is the fact that there is always a section of people extending supports for similar measures. That was exactly the situation faced by me in TES then. I kept on pursuing my path, being encouraged by the positive side of the arising situation.
During the days following this incident, I did take a number of improvement measures for the benefit of the organization, thattook care of me in an appreciable way (as stated earlier) by paying adequate salary and providing appreciable facilities.
2.6 Incident C5 accountable to Conflict of Interest
As my time passed on in TES, my attention too went on being focussed on many areas requiring improvement measures. The maintenance unit headed by me had a store for different items frequently required for executing running maintenance works. I used to get very often work-orders for supply of bulbs from different departments and residences (mostly from officers’ bungalows). While looking into the expenditures incurred for the bulbs provided as replacement of fused/damaged bulbs, itwas found to be abnormally high. I naturally strongly felt the necessity of economising the expenditure being incurred on this account. I then put up a proposal to the Director for replacement of fused/damaged bulbs by maintenance personals (regular employees called electricians). The basic purpose of going for this norm (against the existing practice of leaving it to the hands of users of the premises concerned)was to enforce the practice of identifying and taking corrective measures for the faults responsible for frequent fuses/damages of the bulbs. The Director was very kind to accord immediate approval of my proposal. I started implementing the newly approved norm strictly. In this process, it was known that some users of buildings got offended on the presumption to the effect that I did not take them (users) into confidence. I did realise that those offended possibly failed to conceive the technical reasons for which the new norm was introduced. Without taking note of their offences, I did go on enforcing strictly the new norm. The results started coming to light after a few months. It was found that the expenditure incurred for purchase of bulbs started substantially dropping down to the satisfaction of the management. I carried on with this new norm. In between, many interesting situations were faced in the process of implementing this norm, whichreflected different kinds of pilferages. There was an interesting electrician in my team. One day, I met him on his way back from a building on completion of his assigned job of replacing fused bulbs. I noticed one of the pockets of hispant appreciably bulging out. I immediately called him and my technical supervisor to my office chamber. On my query, he stated that he carried a fused bulb replaced by a new one in the building concerned. Eventually it was found to be a new one. I excused him with a strong verbal warning. This situation has been mentioned herein just for indicating the type of situations I had to deal with. Obviously, a section of my workers too got offended and it was indeed a tough task on my part to go on infusing the importance of ethical values in the minds of this type of workers. The truth is that I kept on trying and never gave up my hope of improvement—-a hope sustained by me even today.
What has been stated above was not the only case of pilferages/misuse. In fact, many other aspects of pilferages/misuse drew my attention. I had to go even to the extent of calling some of my team members one day to my office chamber and delivering a short lecture on ethical values. I declared while concluding my short lecture—-If you anytime feel that I myself do any unethical work, you are most welcome to take me to task on my face itself. I will correct myself.
2.7 Incident C6 accountable to Conflict of Interest
In an Officer’s bungalow, a repair/renovation work of water pipelines was done on an occasion. In the compound of the said bungalow some old GI pipes were left on completion of work for removal later on. However, after a few days, I got a letter from the Director to investigate the case of theft of those GI pipes left out in the compound of the said bungalow. The matter of the theft was directly reported to the Director, since the resident of the bungalow happened to be a very senior tea scientist. I was advised by the Director to report the findings of my investigation straight to him (Director) within a few days. Accordingly, I conducted my investigation and identified the person responsible for the theft of the pipes. He was non other than a fourth-grade regular employee of the group of my plumbers executing the repair/renovation works of the pipeline in the bungalow concerned. I did recover the lot of the stolen pipes and took an undertaking from the guilty employee to the effect that he admitted his guilt and assured the management for not repeating the same type of robberythereafter. The investigation report including my recommendation for the grant of excuse to the employee in view of his undertaking was duly prepared. I carried it (the report) personally to the Director, being well-aware of the gravity of the situation. Having seen my report, he (the Director) got apparently angry and opined—- No, no Dr. Hema, you must dismiss him, no question of excusing. I gathered courage to re-emphasise—Sir, the dismissal may lead to more problems for me. He quickly responded— Don’t worry, we will see. Having been upset on his insistence for dismissal, I tried to express my inner feeling in respect of corruption in the society—— Sir, may I express an aspect of my inner feelings under the situation! Without waiting for his response, I continued— Sir, there are bigger thieves. I feel, when we ignore them in our society, we truly do more harms. For example, Sir, everyday in the evening, I go out of the campus by my car. There is nobody to check my car to find if I carry everyday a bag of cement on the trunk of my car for my personal use in the construction of a house in the plot of land owned by me in the city. He was apparently shocked on hearing me saying so openly and commented—-if you feel so, go ahead the way you desire. I am with you. But you must issue a written warning to the accused. I left his chamber and after issuing a written warning to the person concerned, I started concentrating on other official activities.
The attitude of the director towards me, as evidenced by the cordial arguments I had with him was truly the one adding a lot of confidence in myself for carrying on my activities under different pressures and complex situations, some of which will get further reflected through the incidents to follow.
(To be continued in the next Post of this blog)
