Indian official sacked over 24-year sick leave

An Indian public official has been sacked for taking leave 24 years ago and not returning to his desk, the urban development ministry said.

Assistant executive engineer A K Verma went on leave in 1990 after joining India's central public works department a decade earlier.

Mr Verma defied bosses' orders to return to work after his requests for additional leave were denied, but it took until 2007 for formal dismissal charges to be brought against him, AFP reported the ministry as saying.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu ordered his dismissal to "streamline the functioning of the public works department and to ensure accountability", it said.

India's civil servants have long been notorious for arriving late, taking long lunches or spending parts of their day on the golf course.

This article was first published on January 9, 2015.
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