What goes up must come down.Who thinks of going down when going up,that was my stage at which I was in this textile mill which had all the infrastructure to become a fine textile giant in a State which had no place in the textile map of India.
I started my work with such a speed that the entire town that had taken this mill as a junk,started wondering who was the person in town taking the junk to turn it in to a giant that was sleeping as a junk in the middle of the town.
A detailed report of the mills condition at the time of my take over was sent in detail covering all aspects and was submitted to all the Directors and the big boss a Bureaucrat who had some knowledge of textiles some where down the line after his training. A request was made to send a senior technical adviser to verify my report.I was having his support for my work and it was this thinking only with out any back up that I went ahead with my work like shoot first and talk next.
The work that I undertook needed much of procedures and sanctions I went ahead with work and followed it up with procedures and awaited sanctions.
Most of the work involved was tuning up hundreds of machines.
1] Complete overhauling of machines.
2] Replacements of worn out parts.
3] Ordering of parts required.
4] Renovation of parts in place of replacements which was costly.
5] House keeping on a mammoth scale.
6] Calling experts from out side to fix many machines.
Each of the above things needed procedures and sanctions,as few of the work involved was completed payments were to be made.No payment was possible with out sanction.
I made the payments with out sanction and wrote to the Big Boss to permit me with a blanket sanction for every thing that I would do to get things done to improve the working of the mill on fast track.
This letter was copied it to the concerned officer who was responsible to check the procedures followed and get it approved by proper authorities at the Head office.
There were some items for which even the procedure was done at the Head office and we had to send the stupid Indents for work to be done like overhauling of machines,renovating costly spares and purchase of Tube lights ( just imagine if the Tube Lights were to be shipped over 500 KM and mean while workmen were to work in semi darkness in nights ).There was a stupid officer who had his own self interest and his supporting team which took up the procedure and got it approved by the Technical dept and was sent for sanction.This was for hundred of items for over a dozen mills in the group.They took there time and I had no time.As such I had requested a blanket sanction.
The Big Boss sent my letter with a note to the stupid office in charge of checking the procedures to give him his opinion.
A month back this stupid officer an (alcoholic and womanizer ) had visited my mills and at the same time a Senior Technical Adviser had also come to visit the mills.
A vigilance (alcoholic) officer was also visiting the mills.
The all were staying in the mill Guest House.
The stupid officer and the Vigilance officer wanted the A/C Room and there needs met.
This I refused.[ Point # 1 ].
The stupid officer now had a chance o take his revenge on me for refusing him the A/C room so he sent a note to have a meeting with technical staff.
A meeting was held and during the meeting the matter was discussed about giving blanket sanction.The stupid officer informed the meeting that I had made payments with out sanction and the sum involved was not line with the guide lines of the Holding company's policy and if any deviations were made it would involve the Big Boss in serious problems and a minutes of the meeting was made signed by all with his diction ( sign or lose your cut ) and sent to the Big Boss.
The Big Boss was more worried about his promotion than Company's progress.He just sent it back to the stupid officer to be the Chairman of a investigating committee with the help of a Technical officer and the vigilance officer to go over to the mills and inspect the work and submit it for further action.
I came to know of this and when they visited the mills I took leave so that they could inquire,check and have a free hand in all that they wanted to do as I was much depressed.
The stupid officer tried to black mail me.
I stood firm and told him sorry I was broke,[ Point #2 ]
They could not see anything out of the way technically and payments were made on lowest bids as per procedure but pending sanction.I had no authority to do such a thing but had requested for blanket sanction which was again not a procedure in any of the 11 mills all over India managed by the Govt.( now 67 mills are closed following the stupid procedure and other bureaucratic rules set up at the Holding Company and our Head office ).The stupid officer to take vengeance on me for Point # 1 & Point # 2 had a chance to take his revenge and submitted a serious report cooked up.This report was signed by the other members who did what the stupid officer told and signed with out even seeing what was in the report.This was told to me by the Technical officer after he retired and even the Personal officer told me that the report was only with the Bureaucrat who did not show the report to anyone.
I do not know what was said in the report and I was not asked to give a reply to the report a copy of which should have been given to me which is a legal procedure but told to resign or face inquiry pending suspension.
I resigned.
The whole mill stood by me and sat in my bunglow and would not allow me to leave.This was the 3rd such agitation against my transfer,the 2nd at my 2nd transfer (the first transfer was unknown to the workers as it was done over night)
when all the workers went to Head office to protest my transfer and the 3rd was in Kerala when the MP at Delhi told the Holding company to cancel my transfer immediately and to withdraw the order given to the officer who had to come to take charge from me at Kerala.I had to fight against the transfers or obey the orders in all the transfers.I was not the only one,there were others who made the transfers adjustable.For me I would break but not bend.
I left the mills to join a Gaint in Textile at Bangalore.
I left the place with my bag and baggage.
I was wondering what to do to support the family till my next pay and with no firm guarantee of the job I had.
My wife was in deep depression.
My daughter was in a different depression but kept her decorum.
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