CANACONA: With no respite from the pothole-ridden stretch of NH66 road from Khalwadem to Char Rasta, Canacona locals finally resorted to a unique protest.
Fed up with the assurances from PWD Highway authorities that the road stretch from Khalwadem to Char Rasta will be repaired once the rain subsides, the youth from Canacona decided to hire an ambulance to ferry both the Highway officials and the contractor who was responsible to leave the road in a mess after digging it to lay drinking water conveying pipeline.
They made the contractor lie down on the stretcher as the ambulance went over the bad roads. This was done to make the contractor experience what the patients have to endure, whenever they are shifted to the hospital out of town.
After the painful experience the authorities and PWD contractor assured to repair the road in 15 days. Activist Janardhan Bhandari, while speaking after the protest, said that the people from the taluka are fed up with the daily promises from highway officials that the potholes will be removed. “Forget about removing, the potholes have engulfed the entire road,” Bhandari added.
Videos and pictures of their protest went viral on social media. “Everyday dirty muddy water gets splashed on the clothes of the pedestrians, especially school-going children,” added activist Vikas Bhagat.
