A leaf from my life – CXII - 22-01-2015 (Branch blown out) *I was told that in the Indo-Pak war, 10 Jat Regiment gave back breaking defeat to Pakistani forces at village Asafala near Fazilka and checked their advances. Many Jawan of the 10 Jat Regiment lost their lives while defending the mother land. Ever since every year, 10 Jat Regiment used to observe the Martyr day annually and Commanding Officer of the Western Command used to preside over the function at village Asafala. Rohtash Kumar (General Manager retired) was the Manager Fazilka branch. I gave my consent to be present at the function as a special guest when approached by Dr. Rattan Lal who was the chairman of civil committee of Martyr day function accompanied by Rohtash Kumar. This year, the committee wanted to distribute sewing machines to the war widows. Dr. Rattan Lal desired that I should distribute about 20 sewing machines to the war widows on behalf of the bank. After weighing the total expenditure, I gave my consent but subsequently he requested me to increase it to 30 and then to 40 sewing machines. Upto 20 there was no problem. I asked Manager Fazilka and Nihal-Khera to make payment to ward the cost of the sewing machines and told them to get the expenditure confirmed from me but when he asked for 40 machines, I was in a fix. Sensing it might be beyond my powers Dr. Rattan Lal told me that I should okay it and the difference would managed by him. I did not want any partnership in the distribution, I advised branches in periphery of Fazilka to join in the project and told Rohtash to co-ordinate with other branches to share the expenditure and get their expenditure confirmed from my office and give them the number of machine they require. Rohtash coordinated with other branches and met full requirement of the sewing machine with the help of Dr. .Rattan Lal. Very Senior Officers of the Defense were present on the dais besides the Commending officer of Western Command and I was in the centre of the front row. After the function, names of the senior officers were announced to place wreath on the memorial. My name was also announced and I placed the wreath copying the Defense Officers. Immediately, after my placing the wreath there was National anthem and all the Defense Personnel were standing attention and in a salutation form during the National anthem. I also copied the Defense Personals, who were standing beside me but when the National Anthem was over I observed that the civilian officers were required to stand in attention only and not in a salutation form. I was civilian and I should have followed the civilian pattern but I found my self in peculiar situation and felt uneasy though none pointed out to me. * ‘Mundan’ (first hair cut ceremony) of my grand-son (son of my daughter) were at Dehra Dun some times in September, 1990. Two days before we were to leave for Dehra Dun, before dawn, I received a telephone call from Moga that our Dhudeke branch had been blown out. I immediately contacted the SSP Faridkot but I was told, he was in the bath room. I enquired from his secretariat, if they were aware of this incidence but I was told, so far not. I left the message with SSP Secretariat and immediately rushed Dhudeke taking PS Kochhar Manager, Ferozepur Cantt along. Before leaving Ferozepur, I informed R.G.Puri, the Zonal Manager at Ludhiana about the incidence. When I reached there, the Managers of Moga branches (we had two branches there, Partap Road and GT Road) and Manager Dhudeke already had reached there. The local ASI and a few constables also were there. The branch was blasted with very powerful ammunition. Not only, was the major part of the building blown out but the heavy Goderej gate of the strong room was blown away about ten to fifteen meters away from the strong room by breaking the boundary wall. The local residents were so terrified that no one was coming near the site. Somehow, we could gather the information about the incidence. We were told that between 2 to 3 a.m., three successive blasts were heard from the site. The noise of the blast was so dense that it could be heard in the radius of two three kilo meters. Though the Police Post was within a radius of one kilo meter but the police also came only in the morning. The SSP came around 11 O’clock in a very casual way. I introduced him but he did not bother about me. He just asked the ASI which group had done this and after telling him something he left the site as if nothing was serious or unusual. After the police had completed their formalities, I saw the whole wreckage and asked the local Manager to arrange for some building nearby, where we could shift the left out records and material. The Manager tried his best to get some place but people of the village were so scared that no one was prepared to give any space. We were, now, just close to evening and we could not manage the space in the village. Ultimately, I told the Managers of Moga branches to proceed to Moga hurriedly and arrange for the Truck and labour from there but the Manager, GT. Road was asked to stay there and take the labour and clear one corner at his branch so as to dump the left out record there, before it gets dark.. I sent Kochhar with them. Jain Manager B.O. Partap Road and Kochhar with the help of the local staff arranged the truck and labour from Moga. We got loaded the remains of the record and got it unloaded at G.T. Road in two trips. Though the safe was badly damaged but the currency was safe but the traveling Cheques were burnt partially. The portion of the lockers cabinets which were rented, were also safe. Cash Safe and locker cabinets were also sent Moga GT Road branch. The coming morning, I again reached Dhudeke. We had arranged the labour from Moga and tried the extract the remaining record and furniture from the debris. In the evening, I had a meeting with staff of Dhudeke at GT Road Moga and told them to sort out the record as I wanted to start the working of the branch at the earliest form GT Road premises. I gave them the guide lines how to rebuild the record. I advised them to take the help of the local staff if need be. The local staff especially, that of GT Road branch was very cooperative. Moga was less then 20 km from Dhudeke. I apprised the Zonal Manager on phone about the incidence and management of the remains of the branch and safe guards taken but none came from the Zonal Office. On the third day morning, when I was to proceed to Dehra Dun in connection with ‘Mundan’ ceremony of my grand-son, I received telephone call form R.G. Puri, the Zonal Manager that he would be visiting Dhudeke in the morning though Puri knew that I was going on four days leave to Dehra Dun. Dhudeke was on Ferozepur-Ludhiana Road. We packed our luggage for Dehra Dun and stopped over at Dhudeke and waited for Puri. When Puri came, I apprised him of the steps we had taken and further told him that we would be in a position to start the working of the branch from Moga GT Road within a week. Puri instead of appreciating my efforts, insisted that I should cancel my Programme for Dehra Dun. I told him this function was very important for us and moreover, I had already safeguarded the bank interest and all the necessary steps had been taken to restart the branch in record time. When he was not agreeing, I had to tell him firmly that my going there was must and moreover, I have nothing to do any thing immediately when I had already put the staff on the job. The attitude of Puri was not sympathetic to my problems. He had no instructions for me, what more I was excepted to do. As told him that I must go, he told me that I might return next day immediately after the function. I had taken four days leave and had to cut short it two days and returned next day after the function. There was no communication or guidelines from the Zonal office except the stereotype routine letters to know the progress. Immediately, on my return from Dehra Dun, I was at GT Road Moga branch. The progress in rebuilding the record was satisfactory. There was not much damage to the record. Within five days we stated the working of Dhudeke branch form Moga GT Road and we sent the message to the residents of Dhudeka that they could operate upon their accounts and lockers at our G.T. Road Moga branch. I wrote to Goderej Company’s Head Office, at Bombay under copy to Zonal Manager and GAD, Head Office to send their technical team to analyse why Goderej strong room door and the safe could not sustain the blast but not to speak of sending their experts to check, none, even acknowledge my letter. After three four months, we could manage one room and verandah in one’s residence and started functioning from Dhukeke. Dhudeke was birth place of Shere-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai. But mostly the residents subscribed to the Communist ideology and they still they lacked the courage to fight the terrorists. (Three snaps of Dhudeke and one of Asafala are down loaded with description). 22-01-2015 - CXII
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 05:53:17 +0000
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