"Sir, the civic body wants to run a training course of ultrasonography in our hospital."
"So be it" I said.
"In our department. They want to give hands-on training to doctors working in peripheral civic hospitals. They are going to bring two ultrasound machines for the training."
"Huh?" I said. Being chairman of the PCPNDT Advisory Committee , I knew the PCPNDT act well. "They have to have the proposal passed by the Advisory Committee. The committee needs to see if the trainees qualify to be trained as per the act. The machines need to be registered for being brought here."
"..."
"I will speak to the concerned person" I said. That was easy, because they needed me to make arrangements locally. The officer in charge came to see me about it.
"We have to follow the act" I said. "If not, I hang, the violation of the act being done in my department."
"But there is no time, Sir" she said. "The Civic Boss wants the training done now."
"But you seal ultrasonography machines of private practitioners if they are no registered or if persons not registered under the act carry out ultrasonography. How can you commit both of those wrongs?"
"It is us who have to take that action against offenders. We will not take action against our own people" she said, appearing pained at having to explain such a simple thing to me.
I was speechless for some time. When I recovered, I said, "that is like Policemen committing crimes. They have to catch the criminals, and they will be safe if they do not catch their own. By newspaper reports, it seems such a thing happens sometimes. By the same reports, it seems there is a big stink and heads roll when this is found out. If you have to violate the PCPNDT Act, please do it elsewhere, not in my department."
After we repeated ourselves multiple times (through no fault of mine - I had to repeat myself when she repeated herself), she went to see the Boss. The Boss called me.
"Please explain the situation to me" the Boss said. The complainant sat there expecting compliance from me.
I explained the situation to the Boss. Then I said the penalty for violation of the PCPNDT Act was imprisonment and fine, and since the PCPNDT certificate was in the name of the Boss, the Boss was at risk of getting the punishment for violation of the act. That settled the issue.
"I knew there would be legal trouble when he objected to the arrangement" the Boss said, pointing at me. "We agree that this training is very important. But at the same time, we must follow the law very scrupulously. Get the necessary permissions and only then start the training."
The officer arranged an urgent meeting of the PCPNDT Advisory Committee. We got the certificate from the civic body the same day.
"That must have been the fastest permission given by the civic body in its entire history" someone said.
"No. It is the second fastest" a knowledgeable person said. "The fastest was given to the new civic hospital that was inaugurated recently by chief of the ruling party and Boss' Boss' Boss. It was given as soon as the day of inauguration was finalized, without going through the standard procedure of getting the proposal finalized and approved."
They all looked at me.
"The concerned officer told me the main Boss gave a temporary registration to that hospital, pending approval by the Advisory Committee."
"Does the act permit that? Was the proposal OK?" a principle centered person asked.
I smiled twice, once for each question, and said nothing.
"So be it" I said.
"In our department. They want to give hands-on training to doctors working in peripheral civic hospitals. They are going to bring two ultrasound machines for the training."
"Huh?" I said. Being chairman of the PCPNDT Advisory Committee , I knew the PCPNDT act well. "They have to have the proposal passed by the Advisory Committee. The committee needs to see if the trainees qualify to be trained as per the act. The machines need to be registered for being brought here."
"..."
"I will speak to the concerned person" I said. That was easy, because they needed me to make arrangements locally. The officer in charge came to see me about it.
"We have to follow the act" I said. "If not, I hang, the violation of the act being done in my department."
"But there is no time, Sir" she said. "The Civic Boss wants the training done now."
"But you seal ultrasonography machines of private practitioners if they are no registered or if persons not registered under the act carry out ultrasonography. How can you commit both of those wrongs?"
"It is us who have to take that action against offenders. We will not take action against our own people" she said, appearing pained at having to explain such a simple thing to me.
I was speechless for some time. When I recovered, I said, "that is like Policemen committing crimes. They have to catch the criminals, and they will be safe if they do not catch their own. By newspaper reports, it seems such a thing happens sometimes. By the same reports, it seems there is a big stink and heads roll when this is found out. If you have to violate the PCPNDT Act, please do it elsewhere, not in my department."
After we repeated ourselves multiple times (through no fault of mine - I had to repeat myself when she repeated herself), she went to see the Boss. The Boss called me.
"Please explain the situation to me" the Boss said. The complainant sat there expecting compliance from me.
I explained the situation to the Boss. Then I said the penalty for violation of the PCPNDT Act was imprisonment and fine, and since the PCPNDT certificate was in the name of the Boss, the Boss was at risk of getting the punishment for violation of the act. That settled the issue.
"I knew there would be legal trouble when he objected to the arrangement" the Boss said, pointing at me. "We agree that this training is very important. But at the same time, we must follow the law very scrupulously. Get the necessary permissions and only then start the training."
The officer arranged an urgent meeting of the PCPNDT Advisory Committee. We got the certificate from the civic body the same day.
"That must have been the fastest permission given by the civic body in its entire history" someone said.
"No. It is the second fastest" a knowledgeable person said. "The fastest was given to the new civic hospital that was inaugurated recently by chief of the ruling party and Boss' Boss' Boss. It was given as soon as the day of inauguration was finalized, without going through the standard procedure of getting the proposal finalized and approved."
They all looked at me.
"The concerned officer told me the main Boss gave a temporary registration to that hospital, pending approval by the Advisory Committee."
"Does the act permit that? Was the proposal OK?" a principle centered person asked.
I smiled twice, once for each question, and said nothing.
