Man behind Window (MBW) -"VSNL is a government entity".....
Me -"No sir it isnt, ist owned by the Tata group" ...
MBW - "No, No Its government, you need a No Objection certificate ...." (yawns)
Me (desperate) -- "Sir it WAS a government enterprise its now a listed private company...."
MBW -" Please come and meet my senior officer"
Me and MBW go to meet senior officer, the whole queue stares at us .... ready to pounce and bury me for wasting their (already long wasted) time further.....
MBW and me stand in front of officer while he signs some docs and talks on the phone.
Officer- Yes
MBW - Sir He (pointing at me) is a govt. employee and doesnt have a NOC....
Me - (cutting in between) ... I am not a govt. employee -- I work for VSNL....
Officer - VSNL ,( Duh!!!! ) -- full form kaay?
Me - Videsh San.....
MBW -- (Butting in) ... Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited .... Govt. company Sahib.... ( I think its in the MBW's KRA to reject at least one application per hour and he is desperately trying to achieve the same)
Me - No NO its listed, it has TATA group majority stake .... they bought it in 2002. ( I suddenly realise if this man can perplex me so much with 10 words.... what "third degree torture would be with Mumbai Police")
Officer --- (looking at me skeptically and then at the MBW confidently) --- Are you sure?
Me - Yes Yes !!!
Officer - (Scratches his head and considers for a while) ..... Are you ready to give it in writing
Me - ( With a cocktail feeling of Confusion, shock, amusement and desperation) Give what in writing???
Officer - That VSNL is not a govt. entity and you do not require a NOC....
Me - You want ME to write that
Officer - Yes and sign .....
Me - OK (I thought for a second the officer would also ask me to swear on Bhagwad Gita " Whatever i say is the truth and the ultimate truth")
Me and MBW walk back to the window -- once again we get stares and grunts for delay....
I scrtch out a letter on a "rough page" provided by MBW, he apporves of it (seems dejected though for not achieveing his KRA) and accepts the papers for
"Issue of Additional Passport Booklet"............
--- "This is based on a true incident at the regional Passport office Worli, Mumbai. The characters and script are totally real and any lack of resemblence to real characters is purely due to shortfalls in my writing skills."
I have a lot to say on the whole process for issue of Passports and peripheral services but specifically on the above issue. Is a letter from me good enough proof of me not being a Govt. employee?, shouldnt the govt. issue a list of companies which are govt. and require NOC?
Why should eveen grassroot level govt. employees including sweepers, Clerks, Primary Secondary school teachers etc require a No Objection Certificate from the Govt.? Is there any risk of them absconding with "secret data" and if they do want to abscond, wouldnt they make a passport first and then try to abscond? Why, why, why.........?
More on how the whole process is a "organisational process" disaster as would be classified by "Goal" famous Elihau Goldraitt in coming posts.
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