🛗 The Missing Fourth Floor

 From Biswajit Basu:

(First narrated on Aug 14, 2022 and added to on Feb 10, 2025)

In case you thought Ministries are dry, humourless places, savour this true incident:

The DCI building was to be constructed in Vizag.  Our CMD tasked me with the job of ensuring that our building gets the 5th floor because then we would be entitled to an elevator (lift) as per government rules.  I put my heart and soul into it to get the 5th Floor sanctioned.  After a lot of discussions and arguments with the Public Enterprises Board, I knew I had done my best.  Months passed and I more or less forgot about the whole thing.

Suddenly, I got a call from Mr Motwane, our Ministry's Civil Engineer, to meet him.  On entering his office he seemed elated and congratulated me on my success.  He said the 5th Floor had been approved.  I took him out for dinner that evening.

Next day he called me to his office and I presumed it would be to collect the approval letter.  Indeed it was and I accepted it gleefully.  But he seemed very serious.  Finally he told me that DCI was about to create history!

Mr Motwane said he would be very interested to see our building because it would be the only building in the world with the 5th Floor but without the 4th!

Apparently the original sanction was only for 3 floors.  In our eagerness to get the facility of a lift we had completely forgotten that we needed a sanction for the 4th floor.

Now you know how the government often comes up with ridiculous solutions to simple issues

Retold by Biswajit Basu on Feb 10, 2025 with  additional details:

My stint in the Shipping Ministry was not without its moments of irony and hilarity.

Those who have visited the DCI building in Vizag will probably remember it has 5 floors.  It was originally planned for 4 floors but our Chairman was told that unless you have 5 floors you cannot have a lift (as per CPWD rules).  So our CMD sent me the revised building plan with 5 floors and 2 lifts and I was tasked with getting the 5th floor cleared.  I set upon my task with great gusto.  It was to be cleared by the Joint Secretary in the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and I religiously visited him every week to check on the progress.  Many months passed and I was really struggling with this case.

Suddenly, Mr Motwane, the civil engineer of our Ministry asked me to come over to his office.  I loitered through the labyrinthine corridors and nervously presented myself.  Mr Motwane was effusive and shook my hand and congratulated me as he announced, “approval for your 5th floor has just come in”.  I was overjoyed and immediately invited him for a lunch.  He nodded and indicated that I take a seat.

“I will issue the approval for the 5th floor immediately.  But I there is an issue I must inform you.  I notice that you do not have an approval for the 4th Floor.  I am not sure how you can build the 5th floor without the 4th floor!”

Needless to say, I started the process for the approval of the 4th floor the next day.