the goan I network
PONDA
Ponda MLA Ravi Naik’s elder son Ritesh Naik, who is a councillor in the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC), has come under attack by the MGP for hitting out at PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on social media and describing the minister as ‘inefficient’. In his post on social media, Ritesh Naik had said, “Blame of the man-made calamity of landslides at Khandepar falls on the PWD Minister and his department.”
“The process in which the life of the people were put at risk can only be said as irresponsible and careless. Any intellectual person would know the vertical hill cutting has major risk of landslide but the department and minister looked the other way and now are giving justification.”
“The excuse that the acquisition has not been complete is to fool the citizens. If the condition was so why did the department proceed with the hill cutting knowing the risk to the life of the citizens.”
“With number of growing problems with the PWD it seems the only way to free the department of its problems is to free the department of the inefficient minister,” wrote Ritesh Naik.
Responding to Naik’s strong comments, MGP Ponda block president Anil Naik has asked Ritesh Naik to be more responsible and to refrain from taking political mileage of the landslide. “I take strong objection to Naik’s allegations on social media that the Kerye incident is a ‘man-made calamity’. The minister and PWD officials have clarified about the issue and hence, Naik should not take political mileage by misguiding the public,” said Anil Naik.
“The Ponda MLA’s son should first understand the procedure of land acquisition and only then should make comments. Describing the PWD minister as inefficient is actually an irresponsible statement by Ritesh Naik, who is a councillor. People of Goa are witnessing development works by PWD, be it bridges or roads and these works will benefit the public,” he added.
PWD to open up diversion at Kerye
PONDA: The PWD has decided to open up a diversion at Kerye-Khandepar, where work to cut a hill has been in progress following a recent landslide.
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar had visited the place on Wednesday and had said the road would be reopened within six days.
When contacted, PWD Executive Engineer Vijay Mardolkar, he said they have planned to open up a ‘diversion’ adjacent to the existing road under construction.
“For the time being, we will open up this diversion road and will carry out work at the hill subsequently,” said Mardolkar.
