What? Nu. 3000 penalty for not submitting a report?

So to speak I’ve been sick lately with the reoccurrence of sinusitis. It gets really terrible when I wake up in the morning. My mornings are full of nose congestion followed by continuous sneezing and teary eyes. You can very well imagine the gross picture. :(   

Unable to bear it no longer I thought I needed some complete rest and called in sick at office yesterday. That’s normally when my boss keep looking for me, when I’m not in office. Sigh, my bad luck.  

 

But I found this morning that he had a genuine reason to look for me. Who wouldn’t look for me, the default Asset Declaration Administrator (ADA) when he is fined a penalty of one month’s gross salary? I mean how could anyone bear to lose a month’s gross salary as a penalty. 

As if that’s not enough, I was also slapped a penalty of one month’s national daily minimum wage. Gosh, that’s too much….(swallowing hard with eyes rolling), that’s Nu. 3000/- (my month’s grocery bill) for failure to submit a report on Asset Declaration to Anti-Corruption Commission. 

Early morning, my heart started to thump louder than normal and I started to sweat. My head started hurting and I thought my heart was about to burst, scared to face the boss and justify. You know this happens when you’re afraid that your boss would not listen to you. 

I thought I will have a nervous breakdown. God, please not this when I have just stepped into this glorious 27 age just three days back, I thought with eyes closed. 

And the letter sweetly ends with “upon the deposit of the fine, please send us the copy of revenue receipt.” Here, I’m having panic attacks now. I immediately called the dealing person in the responsible office and narrated them the side of my story, basically my plight. They told to justify in writings. Ok, I said and started writing the justification letter.

Heck, you must be wondering why I didn’t do my job. Hmnnn…I agree to that. As known, the Asset Declaration period falls from 1^st February to March end annually. Just like the Personal Income Tax, Asset Declaration has been made mandatory for all covered person to declare his/her asset, income and liabilities. Now let me not go into the terminologies and confuse your further. 

Owing to some error while accessing the ACC’s website, our employees could not file their asset declaration online. So they submitted in hard copies. Now as a responsible ADA I was supposed to punch the details of some 500 plus employees in the e-database. Isn’t that a nightmare provided the snail pace of internet connectivity in my office?  

So only after the punching of all the details, the disproportionate asset report can be generated which was supposed to be submitted. I we actually tried punching in the details but it was not working; you see my point, so we left it. Now this penalty turns out of the blue risking my life.

Finally I completed the justification letter and went to see my boss to well...justify and get the letter signed, armed with thick crocodile skin attitude, thinking that I’ll just whisk off his anger and pretend that nothing happened. I told myself, “take a deep….breath, you can do it Rekha!” 

The blue file on my arms with the letter perfectly tacked inside, I climbed the stairs gracefully to the boss’s office, as if I’m there to receive an award and not some life threatening scolding. 

I knocked the PA’s office door and asked if Dasho is in. The PA answered that Dasho is not in. Huh? 

"He’s out of station and will be back day after tomorrow, she said." Goodness, what am I supposed to do until then?Wait and then die?

I’m too impatient. I think too much and I know this will eat up my sleep, my appetite and my thoughts. I’ll be imagining every disaster that’s likely to happen. It’s okay for me to give up my month’s grocery bills as penalty, it’s not that I have enough but I’ve no choice. But what about the boss? His gross salary? 

Holy cow! At least I’m sure I won’t be fired. And will the justification letter suffice?  

I return to my office, sit back and cannot do anything. Except write this, thinking of all the possibilities that is likely to happen the day after tomorrow. As I munch on my peanut butter sandwich and sip tea, I wish the earth would open and swallow me. Am I being such a coward, I wonder? 

When faced with this kind of circumstance, I try to seek comfort in quotes like this. I seriously pray and hope everything will be alright.

via

Disclaimer: The thoughts are all mine and not intended to resemble nor offend anyone in anyway.