I was a young Sales Officer handling 36 Petrol Pumps for Hindustan Petroleum in a District in Tamil Nadu in 1989. An idealist, then and now, fresh out of my MBA, I had my task cut out in tackling adulteration and other corrupt practices.
I was just 25. The Sales area had never seen a Sales Officer who was less than 45 years old. And to boot, I had inherited Petroleum Dealers who were old enough to be my father, who had operated when the parent Companies were either ESSO or CALTEX, prior to nationalization. My earlier Sales Officers, who were on the verge of retirement turned a nelson eye to the rampant adulteration that was going on in their Sales Area.
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| HP Petrol Pump (Figure for illustrative purpose only) |
Of the 36 Dealers, about 8 were known crooks, another 10 honest guys, and balance fence sitters who didn't mind adulterating if they got a chance, but didn't want to get on the bad side of the Sales Officer.
As Sales Officer, we had immense powers. We were Inspecting Officers too, and had the authority to suspend Sales if we found any discrepancy.
Proving adulteration was difficult. We had to do a spot test, then take three samples, and send to our laboratory in Eranakulam for testing. And the lab almost always returned a 'a no adulteration report', reason being obvious. They were influenced and samples changed. The Sales Officer who sent the samples ended up thus with egg on his face.
But we had other aces up our sleeves. Those days Motor Lubricants prices were controlled by the Government. So a SAE 40 oil 5 litre tin price was fixed. The dealer got a small margin, and he had to issue a bill. All the dealers overcharged on lubes and gave bills as such. We let this by, as we knew their margins didn't even cover their cost and didn't deem it to be a serious offence to warrant a suspension of sales. But Lube Overcharging penalty was 15 days suspension of Sales, and the proof was the carbon copy of the bill, which is easy to seize.
I was determined to root out adulteration, which was going beyond limits. One of my colleagues from a nearby Sales Territory, who was slightly older to me, gave me the following advice;
"Get hold of the biggest crook and fix him, and you will have a smooth ride till the end of your 4 year tenure".
The biggest crook was a charmer. Well connected politically, he was also a darling of my Superior officers in the Region, and also of many in our Corporate Office in Mumbai. He used to take care of their 'needs' whenever they visited the Sales Area. He was a VIP in the area.
I warned him 3 times to stop adulteration. Every single time he will smilingly deny that he adulterated, and I could see him mock me.
On 4th of January (10 days before the Pongal Festival), I landed up at 10 am in his Petrol Pump, and started my inspection. I noticed massive adulteration, but didn't record it. I asked the Manager, a Brahmin boy, for the Lubricant Bill Book. He was shocked, as the practice was to just tick the column in the inspection sheet. Reluctantly he showed the bill books, where he had clearly overcharged on lubricants. I seized the books as evidence, sealed the Retail Outlet and stopped Sales for 15 days. The Manager pleaded with me not to do. But I turned a deaf ear and told him " I am suspending the sales officially for Lube Overcharging, but the real reason is Adulteration, which I am sure I wont be allowed to prove".
All hell broke loose by the time I reached my HQ. Those were days before the mobiles. My landline never stopped ringing. I got calls from my Managers, Regional Manager asking me to lift the ban immediately. I was threatened by the dealer and his henchmen, telling I would not be allowed to live. I got news that the dealer had gone to Mumbai to put pressure at the highest level, as he lost his face in the town. The Dealers Association President came with a delegation. I sent them out with a flea in their ears.
Regional Manager personally called me and ordered me orally to revoke the ban. I stood my ground, and told him to give in Writing. He threatened me with dire consequences, but he was afraid to overrule me in writing.
The officials pleaded helplessness to the Dealer. The other dealers were like "If Rajan can do this to XXX and get away with it, imagine what he will do to us, if we indulge in adulteration!. Let us better lie low and run our business honestly till he leaves"
The day before Pongal, the suspended dealer came to meet me finally, and humbly requested me to lift the ban, as it was festival time and promised not to adulterate again. A week had passed since my action, and I felt he had been punished enough. I took an undertaking from him that he had indeed not only done lube overcharging, but has indulged in adulteration, and he regretted his action, and an assurance to run his business honestly in future.
Then I lifted the ban.
Surprisingly, he never held it against me, and held me in high esteem. And adulteration in my area came down drastically.
A year down the line, he was involved in a major criminal case, and at that time all my Superior Officers asked me to terminate his dealership citing Security reasons, as the public was up in arms against him.
But I refused, as the agreement said, we can terminate only if he is proved guilty in the court, and at that stage he was only an accused in hiding. I camped near his Petrol Pump for a week, took protection from the Police and ran it till situation became normal. All his other businesses - Movie hall, bus, factory- did not operate. Only his petrol pump did. His family, parents and relatives disowned him.
He surrendered later, and got out of the charges 'somehow'. Once he was acquitted, he came to my house and cried. He thanked me profusely, as my action of allowing the Petrol Pump to run, helped him save his face, according to him.
I did only what was right both the times.
And that is how I fixed the biggest crook and had a smooth ride during my 4 year tenure.
I was reminded of this phase of life when I read how Prannoy Roy of NDTV was raided by CBI. The guy is the biggest, sophisticated crook in the Media for a long time, and by going after him the CBI and Government has taken the correct step.
My only wish is that Government will stand their ground, as I did and not chicken out.
