ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2007

(Visakhapatnam, 14th & 15th June, 2007)

THE EPITAPH

The epitaph is dedicated to my cadre and is written owing to the gleeful patronisation of the policy makers of my Department.

It is our Umakant Mishra, our U. Sangodkar and our Sunil Sharma, who are responsible - not for burying the Entity but for this Epitaph above ground.

Apparently unconnected Umakant, a President Award winning Preventive Officer of 1978, who cried hoarse in the E.L.T. Vol. 210, part 1, provoked me enough since his "lesser Gods" did not oblige him with an answer to the simple question, his young daughter raised. It was the same question, which we faced from our children in a tone of condemnation - how many promotions we got during last 28-30 years of service. The answers were either save embarrassment or it, once offered to justify the Department's unjust action, arose suspicion in the child that the Dad was probably debarred from promotion due to some hidden reason. Umakants are in deep agony.

Apparently unconnected Sangodkar, a Preventive Officer of 1975, who was the last to wrest his second promotion to Assistant Commissioner in April, 2007, stood at 92nd position, which is 300 positions above Sunil Sharma, dragged us by neck and thrust us on the wall to read the writing on it. The provocation again!

Finally, the unfortunate and now connected Sunil Sharma, a Preventive Officer of 1979, who had no better reason to position himself at the 392nd position among all unfortunates all over India but to make all of us digest the hard and depressing reality that he will never get the second promotion in his life, since the 300 positions above him could be exhausted in next 30 years, for which he needs to remain in service till his age of 82 years. Ha!!

No simple calculation. On an over-estimation, if 200 vacancies created in each year out of total 700 odd Asst Commissioners, Sunil Sharma will advance 9 positions each year, since 100 vacancies will be used for promotion and apply 6:1:2 for apportionment. We are sorry that we shall be busy elsewhere and can't wait to see Sunil Sharma getting his second promotion at his age of 82 years.

The Head Priest of the Undertakers in 2002 through his exotic ritual called Cadre Re-structuring put the Entity to final rest by strangulation, which Umakant in his decency called "bottlenecking". The Undertakers as professionals have been remaining unmoved at the burial site all along and maintained adequate silence. No one was allowed to play a 'rudali' with strict discipline and no attempts were allowed for the young daughter of Umakant to ask any more uncomfortable but simple question in order to prevent return of life to the dead Entity.

Now, it has been decided by the Undertakers to preserve the Entity as mummy to decorate the corners of the House thronged by the Undertakers.

The EPITAPH is thus written and preserved for use as and when desired.

ANUPAM MAJUMDAR

P.S. The conventional "From the desk of the President" could not be written as the ink for it is dried up.

- PRESIDENT