The government made me chairman of the PCPNDT advisory committee, not because they knew of my abilities to give sound advise, but because I was head of my department and some Babu decided my institute's obstetrics gynecology head should chair the committee. The job of the advisory committee is to advise the appropriate authority, namely the health department of the civic body, on the actions to be taken as per the PCPNDT Act. Then the appropriate authority is expected to take correct action.
There are requirements to be met for registering a center under the PCPNDT Act. After 5 years, the registration has to be renewed, if the applicant is still eligible. No ultrasonography machine is to be without registration. There was a case in which the center had applied for renewal of registration, but there was no sonologist to perform ultasonography.
"We do not recommend renewal of the registration" I said.
"But we have to. Otherwise what happens to the machine?" asked the representative of the Appropriate Authority, whom we shall call AA.
"The center can surrender the machine until they get a sonologist. Then they have to apply for a new registration" I explained. New registration fee is Rs. 25000, while the fee for a renewal is half of that.
"But they have applied in time" argued AA.
"But they are not eligible" I said.
"But ....blah... blah... blah ..." went on AA, who has a knack for continuing an argument, even if it has no merit. I tired of it, as I always do without fail.
"You cannot advise me on how to advise you" I said. "I give advise that I believe is correct. You may take action that you see fit, ignoring our advise if you choose to do so."
"But how can we ignore the advise of the advisory committee?" asked AA angrily.
"But how can you advise the advisory committee how to advise you?" I countered. AA did not get the point, as she/he never does. I wonder if they train people to think and talk like this before recruiting them in the civic body. Finally I had to throw the Act at AA (figuratively, not physically) to make her/him accept our advise, something she/he had to do right in the beginning.
I wonder how civic employees get so that they believe they are the ultimate authority, and they can decide even what the advisors should advise them.
There are requirements to be met for registering a center under the PCPNDT Act. After 5 years, the registration has to be renewed, if the applicant is still eligible. No ultrasonography machine is to be without registration. There was a case in which the center had applied for renewal of registration, but there was no sonologist to perform ultasonography.
"We do not recommend renewal of the registration" I said.
"But we have to. Otherwise what happens to the machine?" asked the representative of the Appropriate Authority, whom we shall call AA.
"The center can surrender the machine until they get a sonologist. Then they have to apply for a new registration" I explained. New registration fee is Rs. 25000, while the fee for a renewal is half of that.
"But they have applied in time" argued AA.
"But they are not eligible" I said.
"But ....blah... blah... blah ..." went on AA, who has a knack for continuing an argument, even if it has no merit. I tired of it, as I always do without fail.
"You cannot advise me on how to advise you" I said. "I give advise that I believe is correct. You may take action that you see fit, ignoring our advise if you choose to do so."
"But how can we ignore the advise of the advisory committee?" asked AA angrily.
"But how can you advise the advisory committee how to advise you?" I countered. AA did not get the point, as she/he never does. I wonder if they train people to think and talk like this before recruiting them in the civic body. Finally I had to throw the Act at AA (figuratively, not physically) to make her/him accept our advise, something she/he had to do right in the beginning.
I wonder how civic employees get so that they believe they are the ultimate authority, and they can decide even what the advisors should advise them.
