Back in December, Shri A.K. Verma, an executive engineer with India’s Central Public Works Department, took a leave of absence. December of 1990, that is. He has never come back to work, and now, 24 years and one month after his leave began, he’s been fired for “unauthorized absence from duty.” Fair enough. Evidently, Verma had been getting extensions for his leave, although not all of them were granted. That didn’t stop him from not working, however, or from collecting his paycheck. An inquiry was launched into his absence in 1992. In 2007, charges were brought. And now, finally, he’s been fired. Reuters reports that India’s bureaucracy is legendarily slow, and that it’s almost impossible to get a public official fired unless they’re breaking the law outright. So if you’re looking for a dream job, maybe consider running for office in India? It’s tedious work, but you can’t beat the vacation time …
