DGShipping should examine DGCA's action,below.

Dated:6th of june,2009.Mumbai.

Super marine engineers Vs. lowly marine engineers.

Reference today’s TOI,page 10, which says, “ DGCA clips wings of ace pilots””Fixes 5-yr.stint for Examiners, after which they will be demoted as ordinary officials .The DGCA move to strip the examiners ,instructors and check pilots of their prestigious posts---the top body says this is to accommodate a flood of applicants. The revised rule in the CAR says” The examiners/instructors/check pilots shall remain valid for a period of five years from the date of issue of approval---they shall be required to undergo assessment of their continued proficiency---which will be carried-out by the chief flight operations Inspector, once in two years”. The examiner after five years says DGCA” will become line pilots(ordinary pilots not holding management position) When in reality they “become examiners after grueling process” .So the pilot examiner could become an examinee, one day, of the same pilot he had examined, earlier.. This is being proposed after the basic requirement for examiners being 4000 flying hours with commandership of 1750 hours and 50 hours as instructor.

Here, in the DG Shipping a second engineer with one year experience could be examining a candidate for chief engineership and the lowly experienced examiner has the gumption of demoting the said chief engineer several times, over-ruling the orders of the chief examiner ,in order to send the fellow further more on punishment sailing, over and above what he has already just finished. That is because, now ,he has the confidence of a super marine engineer.

What has not come-out in print is the examiners supercilious and haughty attitude towards the examinee and what the DGCA means to curtail is the feeling of security of continuity of their power. There must have been reports from within the department.

This is well said that there are no super-duper pilots and the status of examiner has been achieved through the proficiency certificate and the same should not be maligned by the senior people and others certificates should not be called as “good for nothing piece of paper”(for instance like mine)because their position is achieved through “that” piece of paper only. The DGCA has emphasized just that ,to the super bosses of the pilots fraternity.

Our own DG(Shipping) should also consider sending everyone of the Surveyor and examiner back to the ship every five years, if not every two(unless the person is terribly prone to sea sickness or has a daughter to be married off).The last chief Surveyor had revalidated one Nakschatra Singh’s COC, while the person is forever sitting in same one seat, and told me about it, personally. Whereas take my case, having done over a year of public sectors project managership(the DCI Ltd.),having taught three batches of marine engineering in an institute and sailed for nearly ten months in last five years ,is not found fit for renewal of my 1st class combine COC and I am languishing in Mumbai for last six months, in order to think of ways and means to be able to resolve my predicament .I am told in no uncertain terms that I must sail around the Indian coast in a vessel of 3000Kwh,before they would revalidate my COC. This is pure bully and they want to crack a hard nut in me ,without ever saying a word in writing and or else ,they advise ,I should seek remedy in the court of law. But they themselves are above law. However, when they themselves happen to go to sea , they scoot in fifteen days(ex POMMD of Mumbai ,in Dec.2006,from Hazira ,reported to CS in writing)leaving a sinking ship at God’s mercy and my machinations, after taking over

Take the instance of our own instructors, e.g. Mr.R.D.Raje, extra 1st class combine chief ,had not even seen a turbine ship He used to joke that all he can tell his students is about the Baeur Wach turbines, used for extraction of condensate from the feed tank after the third stage(LP) in a reciprocating steam ship, of those days in the Scindias. How many years does it take for an engineer to become dated(I mean outdated, of course)-five years or ten. Okay, five for those regularly going for sailing and revalidation in the LBS CAMSAR .But those who have really become real super marine engineers and are now hot-shot examiners, may be given ten years of supermanship before asked to proceed to sea,in the next lower rank for three months or six, depending on the horse-power. The chief surveyor can himself formulate the criteria and present it to the DG for approval,rather than wait for the rigmarole of routing it through the ministry and the ministry inviting a note from the DGCA,comparing all and inviting objections from all and sundry(some hoping they would retire before such disaster).Or enough time given to them to go to the High Court for redressal oft heir grievance against such a horrific order, against the so-called super marine engineers,taught to us(by Mr.Kasturi,our 1st D.D.) to be the only saviour of seamen, between God and the sea.

Jokes apart,it will be in the best interest of the shipping industry,of marine engineers,of examiners and examinees.In the SCI,Mr.Srivastava,the then CMD tried to persuade his superintendents to go to sea for a stint,but the sloth on their bodies and souls was so perennial that they would rather disobey their CMD.In the Govt. if a decision is taken,it would surely be carried-out.I hope the DG Shipping reads my blog and takes such a decision of far reaching and a beneficial consequence.

Without any hard feelings,despite what has been done to me and to my COC.
Of Yours very own fraternity

Suresh Pratap Singh
COC No.:95W-5067(1st Class Combine).