During the fire that broke out at the Directorate of Transport office at KTC bus-stand in Panjim on October 2, important files and documents were destroyed in the process. 

Fortunately, some confidential papers remained in safe condition. However, at the time of dumping burnt documents, proper care was not taken and copies of residential and identification papers like aadhar card, election card, passport, vehicle RC book, insurance papers, etc were carelessly thrown by the roadside along the Old Goa-Ribandar route. Since the document copies were easily accessible to travellers and pedestrians, there was every possibility of persons misusing the document copies with malicious intentions. 

Such a tendency only depicts that the undamaged manual records were not sorted out by the department officials. Once this matter was taken up by the press and local TV channels, the Directorate of Transport clarified that the labourers had disposed off the burnt papers along the roadside unknowingly. Subsequently, the department directed labourers to disperse the documents and clear the site. As a result, the same were pushed further in the fields, while some documents were covered up with mud and other debris. 

Since labourers are illiterate with no understanding about the importance of documents, it was necessary for this department to depute its officials to monitor the dumping and clearance process of burnt documents. It was absolutely necessary to sort out the undamaged confidential papers and place them in safe custody. 

But such a attitude was found missing. I sincerely request the Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar to direct an enquiry as to how the labourers were allowed to undertake the concerned task without any officials of the transport department being present to guide and monitor their work. Officials found negligent in discharge of their duties should be taken to task without any discrimination or political patronage. 

Considering the seriousness of this important matter, I hope the transport minister would initiate appropriate enquiry on priority basis.