Director of Fire and Emergency Services Nitin Raiker while presenting a memento to Prashant Dhargalkar upon his retirement.
PERNEM
Starting on daily wages to earning recognition and awards, assistant fire officer Prashant Ghanshyam Dhargalkar of Pernem retired from service on Saturday.
Dhargalkar, who joined the fire service as a daily wage firefighter in 1988, has been lauded for his courage, dedication and social commitment during his service.
Dhargalkar worked as a firefighter on daily wages for the first two years. After that, he served in places like Bicholim, Old Goa, Panaji, Ponda, Lok Bhavan, Pernem and Valpoi.
He considered his government job not limited to duty but to helping citizens in distress without any regard for time.
In 2006, a woman had jumped into a deep well in Khandola with the intention of committing suicide. During the rescue operation, Dhargalkar struggled for four hours by risking his life after facing a poisonous snake and eventually pulled the woman to safety. In recognition of this courageous act, he was honoured with the Chief Minister's Bravery Award and a cash prize.
In 2017, he noticed smoke from the cabin of a Tempo Traveller going from Mumbai to Mapusa via Pernem. He chased the vehicle, stopped it, got the passengers down safely and extinguished the fire.
In another incident, a truck hit a mango tree on the national highway at Torsem-Pernem and entered a nearby shop. The driver was trapped in the cabin. Despite the lack of help at midnight, Dhargalkar and his colleagues managed to pull the driver out safely after trying for about two hours.
When a domestic gas cylinder caught fire in Valpoi, Dhargalkar and his colleagues brought the situation under control at a risk to their lives.
In recognition of his bravery and excellent services, Dhargalkar received a number of awards, including the Chief Minister's Gold Award as well as the President's Fire Service Medal in 2022.
Besides his service in the fire department, Dhargalkar has been a national kabaddi player, having led the Goa kabaddi team in national competitions.
“Even though my government job is over, I will continue my journey of social service,” said Prashant Dhargalkar.
