the goan I network
MAPUSA
The State government may have come in for a lot of stick on account of the pathetic condition of roads in the State but on Thursday, PWD Minister, Deepak Pauskar was taken to task on social media after he asked people of Goa to send photographs of potholes on a WhatsApp number.
Netizens flooded the social media platforms with their take on Pauskar’s request to forward pictures along with google location of potholes.
“Any potholes….Oh really….Does he not read the newspaper reports,” said Rahul Mhambrey, a Chartered Accountant and a member of Aam Aadmi Party on a WhatsApp group in Bardez.
Following him was Pankaj Kudtarkar saying: “Goiche saglyach rastyanche location dhadche padtale tar!”
“More than 100 potholes identified in Calangute...Sent the audit copy to this number…We want action,” said Premanand Divkar, an active citizen of Calangute on a Calangute-based WhatsApp group.
The deluge of comments started after the PWD minister posted the following message on his Face book page: “Public are hereby informed to forward photograph along with google location of any potholes existing on all roads other than National Highways in the state of Goa on following WhatsApp number for immediate action. 7796667373.”
The message immediately went viral and social media exploded with acerbic comments and jokes ridiculing the move.
“We voted u guys and elected as our representatives to solve our problems. U have thousands of staff in the PWD department who are seating and sleeping in offices…If they are ineligible to work then remove them and take new staff…Lakhs of Goans in line to work in gov…N if you are ineligible to solve the problem of Goa’s roads then please resign as PWD minister… and MLA…” said Parab Ashish from Bicholim to the minister’s post on the FB.
“Potholes filling will not help…u need to put new tar on that…PWD will come and fill d potholes and within few days it will be washed out…Ravondfond railway bridge potholes are repaired at least four times in a month now…,” wrote Saiesh Prabhu, a resident from Cuncolim.
The PWD minister was also slammed for not including the National Highways which have been battered the most this monsoon.
“90% National Highway has potholes so why no solution there. Sorry to inform you yesterday due to potholes near Green Park Hotel in Guirim, Mapusa, I witnessed two accidents within 15 minutes. Highway has turned into hell,” Rahul Salgaokar of Mapusa commented to the minister’s post.
Reacting to the minister’s FB post, Manoj Parab of Revolutionary Goans hit out at the government for asking people to do their work a la traffic sentinel scheme.
“Are the PWD officers only to sit in their chairs and pass tenders of contractors? The minister should send his engineers on the field to inspect the roads and find out how many potholes are there,” Parab said.
He further said that the PWD minister was incapable and a liar. “The minister had promised to fill up all the potholes before Chaturthi but failed to keep his word,” he said.
