santosh naik
PONDA: While there are several government authorities constituted for the service of the people, many a time the need arises for a common man himself to take up the cudgels for the voiceless or the less empowered with such authorities. The Ponda taluka is fortunate to have one such person in Viraj Sapre who wastes no time in addressing burning issues at whichever corner of the taluka they may arise.
Going about his responsibilities without fear or favour, Sapre is often seen at various government offices, grilling the officials concerned or even the politicians themselves if a problem inconveniencing the general public has been left unattended. While most others prefer to grin and bear the situation for the fear of backlash from the authorities, Sapre dives into the issue head first with scant regard for whether the bureaucrats or politicians concerned feel offended.
His tryst with activism began two decades ago, when he was all of 18 years old and could not bear to see people in his area of residence suffer due to a water supply shortage that the government failed to resolve. He has not looked back since.
Just recently, Sapre approached the police to complain against officials of the public works department (PWD) for leaving dangerous potholes on the Bethora-Borim bypass road unattended. The potholes were repaired the very next day. Similarly, live electricity
cables that were hazardously suspended from dead trees near St Anne’s Church were shifted onto a pole after Sapre teamed up with Herald to underscore the threat they posed to public safety if one of the trees were to fall.
Sapre says he cannot tolerate negligence by government officials towards their duties, particularly when such negligence causes suffering to the common man. “Government servants are paid by the people and so they should remedy situations affecting the people without waiting for a complaint to first be lodged,” he says.
This Pondaite is often the first to arrive at the site of an issue, much before even say the police or other government officials, as the local people believe that summoning him is quicker and more effective than getting mired in the red tape of the government’s redressal system. A case in point is the recent clearing of the footpath in Ponda town, when Sapre asked officials of the commercial taxes department to immediately evict furniture vendors who had occupied the area for a considerable period of time, restricting pedestrian movement.
Just two days ago, he pulled up a sewerage inspector for failing to properly cover a manhole on the main road at Ponda. Convinced that the shoddy work would endanger several motorists, he went on to lodge a police complaint against the area’s sewerage officials.
“Ponda is in need of a lot of facilities and amenities,” says Sapre. “To begin with, the town needs a decent bus terminus. The current KTC terminus is reeling under neglect as renovation work has been kept on hold for quite a while. The Ponda sub-district hospital should also upgrade its emergency services and be equipped with a CT scan machine so that more people can be treated there itself instead of needing to get admitted to the GMC.”
In the meanwhile, he says he will continue to be a champion of public causes and will do his bit to keep the common man content.
