MY AGONISING SERVICE AT POLLACHI
My agonising service at POLLACHI.
I was appointed in Tamilnadu P W D during 1958 and my service were lent to Tamilnadu Elecricity Board. I came back to PWD(rather pushed back) in 1969.
I was at Chennai from 1976 to about 1980. At Chennai I worked in the Chief Engineers office and also in Designs Office. During this period I had applied for a foreign assaignment section. I did not hear anything during my stay at Chennai. I got trasferred to Pollachi during 1980. I worked at Pollachi and around 1981 suddenly I got a chance to work in the Middle east. And was called for interview at Delhi. I went to Delhi and got selected.
You may be wondering as to why this preamble! Well well ! about 13 persons from the PWD had registered in the foreign assainment section sending the necessry format through the Department.. It was found out by one of the engineeers that the foreign assaignment section requires some INFLUENCE to get call for interviews from embassies who were in need of engineers and this section will only send the names depending on the influence.
So these 12 engineers at Chennai got together and collected about rs 1,50,000/- they did not know that I had also registered . I also did not know about their collection etc as I was at Pollachi. One engineer went all the way to Delhi carying this Infuluence and after much bargaining he was able to offer rs 1’30,000/- for the influence. This engineer returned with the assurance of the foreign assaignment section and the balance amount was returned to those who had contributed.. So far so good. All those 12 engineers at Chennai received the call for the interview. and ..due to God’s grace or what shall I call it luck I also got the call for interview. The assaignment section thought that the influence of Rs1,30,000/- was for 13 persons and without my doing anything I also got a call from the embassy at Delhi. The pay at Middle east was nearly 10 times what I would have got in the Tamilnadu PWD. I got selected and had to move heaven and earth to get relieved from one Sivaramakrishanan Superintending engineer. I can say now that I suffered more from Brahmin higher ups than non brahmins in Tamilnadu PWD!
I worked for 2 years and I got promotion as Executive engineer in PWD while. I was working at the mid east.. With this extra pay in Mideast I was able to finance the education of Srinath who was at IIT Madras and Mohan who was at PSG Coimbatore. My wife was at Mysore taking care and educating Ravi and Raja.. Both Srinath and Mohan were staying in the hostels and if I had continued in Tamilnadu PWD the income would not have beenenough to take care of both and also my wife and other two sons staying at Mysore.I returned after two years and I was posted to Pollachi without my being asked. There were lot of pressure form some higher ups to post their wards and inspite of this I got posted due to Er Mohan krishnan Senior Deputy Chief Enginner PWD who was working in the Chief Engineer’s office.and who had appreciated my work when I was in design office.
The Superintending Engineer at Pollachi was one Er Seshan.(The less said about him the better) I had to work under him.
In this connection I have to tell the following about me . 1) I was from outside the state of Tamilnadu 2) I did not have any political and financial backing 3) I belonged to so called forward community. With the above in built disadvantages I had to do hard work ., had to be sincere, and honest in my work.
There were so mny impendiments I had to face while working under seshan. Here only I shall narrate about only two.
The Paramabikulam Aliyar Project had its head quarters at Mackinampatti which was later referred to as Pollachi. This was situated in the out skirts of Pollachi and later on got merged with Pollachi due to its expansion.
The buldings which were built for office and a few permanent buildings wre built to last long. Where as other quarters were built for serving temporarily. Even now they are standing which shows the quality of work.
The main office building was built to standards. It had the electrification and all the wiring was with high quality copper wire. Even after 25 years they were as good as new.
I do not know as to what prompted Seshan . he wanted all the old wiring removed and to be fixed with new wiring staing that the old wiring has become weak and useless.
Seshan had the unique habit of becoming very very chummy with my subordinates such as Assistant Engineers and Assistant Executive engineers. They were supposed to influence him with a good quality booze. It was their duty ot supply in turn. This they used to do it with pleasure for reasons best known to them. Seshan had in the meanwhile got some electronic and electrical household goods from one Setty and company of Coimbatore, promising him that he will get a good electrical contract. The idea was to get a new electrical estimate sanctioned and relay the wiring and get paid as if a new work has been done.
The presure on me as Executive enginner was too much. Because in none of the work or estimates (estimate to be sanctioned by Seshan) seshan will never get involved. Seshan had some engineers who were working under me who used to report to him what ever I say or do.
So in a loud voice I told in their presence that as there is already a elctrical division under PWD located in coimbatore even if the estimate is sanctioned I shall transfer the estimate with the estimate amount to the electrical division. This had a desired effect on seshan and he dropped the idea of taking up the electrical work. Some how he managed to pay Setty and company coimbatore.
The next case refers to the lining of the tunnel.
A contour canal is constructed which trasfers the waters from the upper eaches of Aliyar dam to Amaravathi dam. During the irrigation season when the water starts flowing it is never stopped for nearly 4 months as this will have adverse effect on the irrigation supply.
The tunnel was built and lined to very high standard. Due to time factor the bottom of the lining had got worn out but it was not a major factor for the flow of water. Seshan had his own way. He wanted me to prepare an estimate splitting the reach of the tunnel to different reached. These estimates are to be prepared in such a way that the estimate is to be with in the power of sanction of the Executive engineer that is me. The bottom is to be only plastered and not relaid. After the flow of water starts the bill is to be paid. This amount was a whooping rs 25/- lakhs!! This amount is to be shared by Seshan, me and subordinates and also contractors.
I had an idea to spoil this scheme. I asked one Jeevanandam the Assistant Executive Engineer to have a ramp using sand bags so that the inlet of tunnel is easily reaached by the Jeep. I also took with me the camera. This was not known to Seshan in advance. I requested him to come for inspection. He readily agreed . when he wanted to walk along the tunnel inside I told him that the jeep can easily negotiagte and at several places where he got down I took photographs. After the entire inspection he returned giving me the instruction to prepare estimate, call for tenders and execute work.
Instead I prepared a detailed report about the inpection by Seshan and in the report I mentioned that the tunnel is functioning alright and does not require any repair or relaying of concrete at bottom!! Seshan was stunned and had to drop his evil idea.
One chief enginner whose ancestores were from Aavarampalyam near Tiruppur wanted to have 8 toilets constructed at their community hall at Aavarampalyam. The juristictional Superintedning engineer was Seshan. He told me to get 8 toilets constructed at Aavarampalyam kalyana mantap. For this he wanted me to prepare some dummy estimate and get the toilet constructed. and make payment as if some structure required for PWD has been constructed. For this I categorically refused. When the chief engineer visited next time he asked Seshan as to why he has not yet consturcted the toilets. He mumbled somethhing and this work was shifted to some other Superintending Engineer and with in a short span of 2 weeks he got it constructed and got a good neme. Seshan reported against me to the chief engineer stating that I am not “cooperating!!!” and I was trasferred to Tiruchi. The next day of my handing over as I was waiting for the bus to take me to Tiruchi body of Seshans only son Ramju was received from Coimbatore. This son was an alcoholic and used to boast of his taking liquor in the presence of his father and smoking! Even to receive his body seshan was not there as he was on his way to Guruvayoor. without knowing that his son has died at coimbatore hospital.
About these and other issues and titibits please wait.
..
.
I was appointed in Tamilnadu P W D during 1958 and my service were lent to Tamilnadu Elecricity Board. I came back to PWD(rather pushed back) in 1969.
I was at Chennai from 1976 to about 1980. At Chennai I worked in the Chief Engineers office and also in Designs Office. During this period I had applied for a foreign assaignment section. I did not hear anything during my stay at Chennai. I got trasferred to Pollachi during 1980. I worked at Pollachi and around 1981 suddenly I got a chance to work in the Middle east. And was called for interview at Delhi. I went to Delhi and got selected.
You may be wondering as to why this preamble! Well well ! about 13 persons from the PWD had registered in the foreign assainment section sending the necessry format through the Department.. It was found out by one of the engineeers that the foreign assaignment section requires some INFLUENCE to get call for interviews from embassies who were in need of engineers and this section will only send the names depending on the influence.
So these 12 engineers at Chennai got together and collected about rs 1,50,000/- they did not know that I had also registered . I also did not know about their collection etc as I was at Pollachi. One engineer went all the way to Delhi carying this Infuluence and after much bargaining he was able to offer rs 1’30,000/- for the influence. This engineer returned with the assurance of the foreign assaignment section and the balance amount was returned to those who had contributed.. So far so good. All those 12 engineers at Chennai received the call for the interview. and ..due to God’s grace or what shall I call it luck I also got the call for interview. The assaignment section thought that the influence of Rs1,30,000/- was for 13 persons and without my doing anything I also got a call from the embassy at Delhi. The pay at Middle east was nearly 10 times what I would have got in the Tamilnadu PWD. I got selected and had to move heaven and earth to get relieved from one Sivaramakrishanan Superintending engineer. I can say now that I suffered more from Brahmin higher ups than non brahmins in Tamilnadu PWD!
I worked for 2 years and I got promotion as Executive engineer in PWD while. I was working at the mid east.. With this extra pay in Mideast I was able to finance the education of Srinath who was at IIT Madras and Mohan who was at PSG Coimbatore. My wife was at Mysore taking care and educating Ravi and Raja.. Both Srinath and Mohan were staying in the hostels and if I had continued in Tamilnadu PWD the income would not have beenenough to take care of both and also my wife and other two sons staying at Mysore.I returned after two years and I was posted to Pollachi without my being asked. There were lot of pressure form some higher ups to post their wards and inspite of this I got posted due to Er Mohan krishnan Senior Deputy Chief Enginner PWD who was working in the Chief Engineer’s office.and who had appreciated my work when I was in design office.
The Superintending Engineer at Pollachi was one Er Seshan.(The less said about him the better) I had to work under him.
In this connection I have to tell the following about me . 1) I was from outside the state of Tamilnadu 2) I did not have any political and financial backing 3) I belonged to so called forward community. With the above in built disadvantages I had to do hard work ., had to be sincere, and honest in my work.
There were so mny impendiments I had to face while working under seshan. Here only I shall narrate about only two.
The Paramabikulam Aliyar Project had its head quarters at Mackinampatti which was later referred to as Pollachi. This was situated in the out skirts of Pollachi and later on got merged with Pollachi due to its expansion.
The buldings which were built for office and a few permanent buildings wre built to last long. Where as other quarters were built for serving temporarily. Even now they are standing which shows the quality of work.
The main office building was built to standards. It had the electrification and all the wiring was with high quality copper wire. Even after 25 years they were as good as new.
I do not know as to what prompted Seshan . he wanted all the old wiring removed and to be fixed with new wiring staing that the old wiring has become weak and useless.
Seshan had the unique habit of becoming very very chummy with my subordinates such as Assistant Engineers and Assistant Executive engineers. They were supposed to influence him with a good quality booze. It was their duty ot supply in turn. This they used to do it with pleasure for reasons best known to them. Seshan had in the meanwhile got some electronic and electrical household goods from one Setty and company of Coimbatore, promising him that he will get a good electrical contract. The idea was to get a new electrical estimate sanctioned and relay the wiring and get paid as if a new work has been done.
The presure on me as Executive enginner was too much. Because in none of the work or estimates (estimate to be sanctioned by Seshan) seshan will never get involved. Seshan had some engineers who were working under me who used to report to him what ever I say or do.
So in a loud voice I told in their presence that as there is already a elctrical division under PWD located in coimbatore even if the estimate is sanctioned I shall transfer the estimate with the estimate amount to the electrical division. This had a desired effect on seshan and he dropped the idea of taking up the electrical work. Some how he managed to pay Setty and company coimbatore.
The next case refers to the lining of the tunnel.
A contour canal is constructed which trasfers the waters from the upper eaches of Aliyar dam to Amaravathi dam. During the irrigation season when the water starts flowing it is never stopped for nearly 4 months as this will have adverse effect on the irrigation supply.
The tunnel was built and lined to very high standard. Due to time factor the bottom of the lining had got worn out but it was not a major factor for the flow of water. Seshan had his own way. He wanted me to prepare an estimate splitting the reach of the tunnel to different reached. These estimates are to be prepared in such a way that the estimate is to be with in the power of sanction of the Executive engineer that is me. The bottom is to be only plastered and not relaid. After the flow of water starts the bill is to be paid. This amount was a whooping rs 25/- lakhs!! This amount is to be shared by Seshan, me and subordinates and also contractors.
I had an idea to spoil this scheme. I asked one Jeevanandam the Assistant Executive Engineer to have a ramp using sand bags so that the inlet of tunnel is easily reaached by the Jeep. I also took with me the camera. This was not known to Seshan in advance. I requested him to come for inspection. He readily agreed . when he wanted to walk along the tunnel inside I told him that the jeep can easily negotiagte and at several places where he got down I took photographs. After the entire inspection he returned giving me the instruction to prepare estimate, call for tenders and execute work.
Instead I prepared a detailed report about the inpection by Seshan and in the report I mentioned that the tunnel is functioning alright and does not require any repair or relaying of concrete at bottom!! Seshan was stunned and had to drop his evil idea.
One chief enginner whose ancestores were from Aavarampalyam near Tiruppur wanted to have 8 toilets constructed at their community hall at Aavarampalyam. The juristictional Superintedning engineer was Seshan. He told me to get 8 toilets constructed at Aavarampalyam kalyana mantap. For this he wanted me to prepare some dummy estimate and get the toilet constructed. and make payment as if some structure required for PWD has been constructed. For this I categorically refused. When the chief engineer visited next time he asked Seshan as to why he has not yet consturcted the toilets. He mumbled somethhing and this work was shifted to some other Superintending Engineer and with in a short span of 2 weeks he got it constructed and got a good neme. Seshan reported against me to the chief engineer stating that I am not “cooperating!!!” and I was trasferred to Tiruchi. The next day of my handing over as I was waiting for the bus to take me to Tiruchi body of Seshans only son Ramju was received from Coimbatore. This son was an alcoholic and used to boast of his taking liquor in the presence of his father and smoking! Even to receive his body seshan was not there as he was on his way to Guruvayoor. without knowing that his son has died at coimbatore hospital.
About these and other issues and titibits please wait.
..
.
posted by N.S.Char at 7:34 PM
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