It was a high profile meeting, involving processing of work costing millions of rupees. Heads of multiple departments were involved, and all were present, along with auditors, administrators, and tenderers. Things were moving too slowly, probably because mistakes could not be made.
"What was the reason for not doing this the way it should have been done?" the Boss asked one person.
"It was not done because the equi..."
"Yes. I would like to know why it was not done the way it should have been done" quipped one head of a department, far below the Boss in hierarchy.
There was no point in interrupting the answer that was being given, by asking for that answer again! The said person had not been listening well. I winced but kept quiet. I was not chairman anyway.
"Listen listen" the Boss said without showing any irritation. "He is answering that question."
Then there was no further interruption. The meeting was adjourned after two hours of debate. We met the next day again, when the architect joined us.
"I have no objection to anyone making any civil changes in the structure" he said. "Only thing is that the 5 year warranty of the civil work will be passed on to the person who makes the changes, and the architect-contractor who did the work will be free. He was the architect involved. I could understand his happiness at the thought of transferring the warranty to someone else, because I knew and he knew that the work was shoddily done.
"I would like you to remove the entire window of the place and move stuff into the room from outside using a lift. Move the workers in and out the same way. Then work in adjacent rooms will not be compromised" said the same head of department.
Removing the window and its grill meant major civil work again. The archiect repeated the statement he had made about it a while ago. The Boss said the stuff and people would enter the room as anyone else did, through the door. It was left at that.
"There is no reason why the window cannot be removed for the duration of the work" the said head of department said to us after the meeting.
"The reason is that the architect wants to transfer the warranty to the person who makes civil changes, so that he is free of the responsibility" I explained. "That's why it cannot be done."
"But there is no reason why the window cannot be removed for the duration of the work" that head of department said again.
"I raised my arms in a gesture of helplessness and left. You cannot make a person see reason when he or she hears but cannot listen.
"What was the reason for not doing this the way it should have been done?" the Boss asked one person.
"It was not done because the equi..."
"Yes. I would like to know why it was not done the way it should have been done" quipped one head of a department, far below the Boss in hierarchy.
There was no point in interrupting the answer that was being given, by asking for that answer again! The said person had not been listening well. I winced but kept quiet. I was not chairman anyway.
"Listen listen" the Boss said without showing any irritation. "He is answering that question."
Then there was no further interruption. The meeting was adjourned after two hours of debate. We met the next day again, when the architect joined us.
"I have no objection to anyone making any civil changes in the structure" he said. "Only thing is that the 5 year warranty of the civil work will be passed on to the person who makes the changes, and the architect-contractor who did the work will be free. He was the architect involved. I could understand his happiness at the thought of transferring the warranty to someone else, because I knew and he knew that the work was shoddily done.
"I would like you to remove the entire window of the place and move stuff into the room from outside using a lift. Move the workers in and out the same way. Then work in adjacent rooms will not be compromised" said the same head of department.
Removing the window and its grill meant major civil work again. The archiect repeated the statement he had made about it a while ago. The Boss said the stuff and people would enter the room as anyone else did, through the door. It was left at that.
"There is no reason why the window cannot be removed for the duration of the work" the said head of department said to us after the meeting.
"The reason is that the architect wants to transfer the warranty to the person who makes civil changes, so that he is free of the responsibility" I explained. "That's why it cannot be done."
"But there is no reason why the window cannot be removed for the duration of the work" that head of department said again.
"I raised my arms in a gesture of helplessness and left. You cannot make a person see reason when he or she hears but cannot listen.
