CANACONA
An employee’s careless act of leaving the office tap open shortly before offices were closed for the weekend caused flooding of government offices on the first and ground floors of the B Complex of the Canacona Deputy Collectorate.
The Canacona Zonal Agriculture Office (ZAO) and the PWD (Water Supply) office were among the worst affected, as several documents, files and other equipment were damaged in the water.
The matter came to light when office staff began reporting to their respective offices on Monday morning. They noticed the public space on the ground floor, which also houses the cabin and staff of the Deputy Collector, was flooded, with water flowing from the first floor of the complex.
On the first floor, the staff were shocked to find the ZAO office and cabins of the officers also flooded. They realised that water had been flowing from the second floor, where the PWD (Water Supply) office is situated.
The PWD staff then opened the office and noticed a tap flowing freely. They closed the tap, but the damage had already been done, as water had also entered the offices of the PWD (WS) and damaged files and documents placed on the floor.
According to Canacona ZAO Mahendra Pagui, the office laptop with important office data, a printer, office files, and various scheme sanction orders were among the items damaged in the water.
“Though many of the files have been scanned, it is mandatory to maintain physical records of various schemes, sanction orders and other important documents,” informed ZAO Pagui.
The incident led to widespread criticism among locals, who claimed that the PWD (Water Supply) hardly supplies adequate water to customers, yet wasted huge amounts due to the careless attitude of its staff.
