THE PRICE PAID FOR RAISING VOICE AGAINST INJUSTICE

THE PRICE PAID FOR RAISING VOICE AGAINST INJUSTICE

To my credit, I was the first Agricultural Inspector appointed in South India in July, 1964 by the National Seeds Corporation Ltd (A Govt. of India Undertaking) soon after its formation at its Foundation Seed Unit Mechanized Farm, Thangadencha, Nandikotkur Taluq, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. Prior to that I had served the Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry for about 4 years.

Due to shortage of Technical Staff specialized in Seed Technology and for having garnered sound experience in Seed Industry in the country, my services were placed at the disposal of Seed Division in the Min. of Agriculture & Co-operation, Govt. of India, New Delhi in the year 1978 in which capacity I continued up to the end of 1979. I was attached to Mr M.D. Asthana, Director (Seed) who was from an elite cadre of IAS from Haryana and was a hard task and tough master. I had diligently discharged my duties to the best of my ability of the work connected with two statutory bodies Viz; Central Seed Committee (CSC) and Central Seed Certification Board (CSCB) besides the various sub-committees attached to them under his able guidance and stewardship. Normally, officials from Govt. of India serve on deputation in Govt. Undertakings but in the present instance it was just reverse with my services from a Govt. of India Undertaking (NSC) were lent to Govt. of India on an informal basis. I was not given additional benefit like deputation allowance or any other advantage. I used to draw my pay and allowances from my parent organization only. Mean while, two IAS Officers hailing from the same state Kerala but of different state cadres i.e. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had assumed charge of NSC as Chairperson and Managing Director Mrs. Anna Malhotra and T. Balaraman respectively.
During early part of 1980 two of my juniors have been promoted by the duly constituted Departmental Promotion Committee (D.P.C.) from Jr. Class-I to Sr. Class-I Officer cadre ignoring my seniority and my legitimate claim for promotion. The person immediately after me in the seniority list comes from the same state of the above two IAS Officers and it was a clear case of favouritism and nepotism . To ensure that no suspicion is created in the minds of others, a person next to him who hails from M.P. had also been promoted to cover up their blatant violation of promotion rules. It is relevant to mention here that both my juniors were on ad-hoc basis whereas I was a regular confirmed Seed Officer . Thus, it can clearly be seen that the Officers of ad-hoc nature had superseded me especially when I was of regular status in the combined seniority list circulated much earlier. Shell shocked with this unforeseen and sudden development and also with deep pain and anguish, I had represented to the Chairperson/MD of NSC on the grave injustice meted out to me but I did not get any response from the management as is normal the case with NSC always..
Thereafter, I had brought it to the notice of my controlling officer i.e. Director (Seed) who had sought clarification from NSC management on the controversy. The management had told him that the grading of my ACRs for the years 1978 and 1979 was not up to the mark in comparison to the other two of my juniors and therefore I could not stand a chance. Shri M.D. Asthana, IAS; Director (Seed) exclaimed as to how my CRs for the period I had worked under him could be written by the MD/Chairperson when he was supposed to write and reviewed by the Jt. Secretary (Seed) G.O.I. The Director (Seed) had also remarked that when the MD/Chairperson did not have any idea about my performance during the relevant period how they could have under rated me in their reporting for which they had no answer.
The Director (Seed) convinced about the grave injustice done by the NSC management in league with each other advised me to submit a representation to the then Hon. Minister for Agriculture, Mr Rao Birendra Singh from Haryana. It was learnt that the Hon. Minister summoned the top NSC management to his chamber and directed them for undoing the injustice done to me but the management had adopted a tough and rigid posture with a ‘damn care’ attitude and did not bother to comply with the Hon. Minister’s order despite reminders for a long time. When the defiance of NSC was apprised to the Hon. Minister, he was in a rage and had reprimanded them and wanted that the various columns filled up by the NSC in my C.Rs to be pasted by white paper strips and the same forms to be sent to the Ministry instead of fresh forms. The MD (Seed) had given full credit to the work done by me in the Ministry in the ACRs as ‘outstanding’ and got them reviewed by veteran Shri Rama Kant Rath, IAS; Jt. Secretary(Seed) and Sahitya Academy Winner for his literary master piece in Oriya who had also endorsed the entries of Director (Seed) in toto. Armed with the new CRs, NSC was directed to reconvene DPC not only to promote me but to give my due place in the seniority in the newly promoted post. Thereafter, the witch-hunting and persecution started against me by the management. They have posted me first as Divisional Manager, Vijayawada despite my repeated requests to transfer me to Chennai as Regional Manager to get proper medical attention from the top Neurosurgeons Drs B. Ramamurthy and S. Kalyanaraman based in Chennai as my daughter was suffering from an incurable brain disease Viz; diffused (multiple) cerebral cisticercosis and was totally dependent on cartico-streroids due to Intra-cranial Tension (ICT), severe headache, projectile vomitings, hallucinations and high doses of anti-convulsants for controlling severe epileptic attacks. Again due to Ministry’s intervention , I was finally transferred to Chennai. After I had taken over as the first Regional Manager of the new region created comprising of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep, the management unleashed a reign of terror against me and instigated the Union to start violent agitation against me for my removal. They have foisted several false cases against me and made my life a living hell. None of the charges made against me could be proved. Within a short span of less than two years of my stay in Chennai, I was unceremoniously removed from the post and recalled to Delhi even without humanitarian considerations for my daughter’s protracted ailment. In the promotion to the next higher post as Joint Manager, they had taken full revenge and settled their scores by reversing my seniority over the other two people fixed in earlier promotion as staqus quo ante. All this persecution was due to personal vendetta and reprisal to the firm stand taken by me to complain against the Two Sr. Officers who entered into an unholy alliance to promote the interests of their own people. After their tenure was over, they briefed their successive IAS incumbents due to personal animosity to ill treat me and they in turn continued the same vilification campaign. They have created such hostile climate for my further continuance in the Organisation that I had to finally opt for VRS in the very first batch at an early age of 51. Due to personal prejudices and predilections of cantankerous Sr. IAS Officers, my illustrious career has come to an abrupt end.
It is, therefore, no wonder that the same Chairperson has been decorated with ‘Padma Sri’ for the so called distinguished services done to the community. In the recent past, IPS and other Sr. officers in A.P. managed to nominate their own names for gallantry awards and President’s Medals in recognition of encounter operations against Naxals despite the fact they did not work in Naxal infested areas at any time of their career. These Awards have therefore lost their glitter and charm and one can easily get these decorations by lobbying at the right circles..

Samrajyam Srinivasa Rao, M.Sc.(Ag.)
DDA MIG Flat No.631
Sector-8, Pocket-C/8
Rohini
Delhi – 110085
INDIA
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