PONDA: Ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, several MLAs have been seen cleaning up shrines in different parts of the State, but the residents of Ponda aren’t impressed and have asked the politicians to rather focus on providing proper amenities to the people.
According to the local residents, temples are never dirty as they are cleaned daily. Instead, the politicians should focus on providing basic amenities such as good roads and medical facilities, which would be true service done by Lord Rama’s devotees and would certainly please the Lord.
Viraj Sapre, a social worker from Ponda said, “A nautanki (drama) has been going on for the past few days over temple cleaning. It’s been a month since the lifts at Ponda Sub-District Hospital broke down and no effort is being made to make them functional. Due to this situation, the patients, especially the physically challenged and the elderly, are suffering. Also, there is no blood bank at the hospital.”
Beside this, the surgeon’s post at the hospital is vacant and people are forced to get the surgeries done at private hospitals or the GMC, he added.
He also said that the locals here have been trying to draw the attention of politicians towards the various other major problems faced by them.
“This includes bad roads, which are causing several health issues for commuters, especially two-wheeler riders, like backaches. It is difficult to navigate the vehicles through the town as roads have been dug up for various development work, including sewerage, underground power cables, gas lines etc. These issues should be sorted out on priority basis,” Sapre said.
He said politicians cleaning temples won’t be of much use for the people. True service to Lord Rama lies in improving the government services that impact the lives of Lord’s devotees.
Social worker Sandeep Parkar said temples are well maintained by Temple Management Committees.
“If these politicians should actually clean the polluted nullahs and springs which were once a source of fresh water. They should clean the heaps of garbage dumped at Sonsoddo at Margao, on which a huge amount is spent,” Parkar said.
Housewife Nayan Naik said that the government should focus on controlling inflation. “People are suffering due to growing and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. Low income levels of the common man is making it very difficult for him to manage the monthly expenses. We want a solution to these daily problems,” she said.