CANACONA: Social activist Shubham Komarpant called off his sit-in protest outside the Deputy Collectorate in Canacona after the government granted financial approval for repairing the non-functional lift at the Community Health Centre (CHC).
The lift, which is crucial for dialysis patients and their families accessing treatment facilities, had reportedly remained out of service for nearly six months, causing significant inconvenience to patients visiting the hospital.
Komarpant had previously warned the authorities of an agitation if the repair process was not initiated. He launched the dharna along with four associates, including young activist Sunay Komarpant, and received support from social workers, local representatives and political leaders.
During the protest, officials initially presented a work order for the repair. However, Komarpant refused to accept it, arguing that financial approval was necessary as the contractor had reportedly halted work due to pending payments.
The agitation took a turn when the Deputy Collector contacted Komarpant and assured him that a copy of the financial approval would be provided and that repair work would begin immediately. Subsequently, the Joint Mamlatdar and Canacona Health Officer jointly handed over the approval document to the activist.
Following the development, Komarpant and his supporters called off the protest by accepting lemon water.
Speaking to the media, Komarpant criticised Canacona MLA and minister Ramesh Tawadkar over the state of healthcare facilities in the taluka. He also questioned the delay in forming the Health Visiting Committee (HVC), pointing out that the proposal had been discussed when only three months remained in the tenure.
Komarpant stressed that the lift should have been repaired on priority, considering its importance to dialysis patients and other hospital visitors. He alleged that delays in clearing the contractor’s dues had contributed to the prolonged disruption.
The activist maintained that essential healthcare infrastructure should not be allowed to remain non-functional for months and called for greater accountability from the authorities to prevent similar problems in the future.
