Mangaluru: Giving a whole new meaning to the saying, “Waste not, want not,” Bantwal, BJP leader, U Rajesh Naik is encouraging people not to waste time in protests over bad roads in their localities , but instead spend it in repairing them themselves.
In the process he hopes that the ‘shramadaan,’ as this unique form of protest is called, will shame the authorities into action. The response has been so good that over the last few months around five roads have been repaired this way, albeit temporarily.
The BJP leader’s logic is simple. “Instead of wasting a day in shouting slogans I feel this is a constructive way of utilising human resources. We will continue this protest and draw the attention of officials to the work at hand as well,” he says.
Although defeated in the 2013 assembly elections, Mr Naik has hundreds of people coming to him about their problems and when a few months ago some suggested he join their protest against bad roads in Pajakal, he came up with the idea of the “shramadaan.”
“I told them that instead of 200 people spending the day shouting slogans, they could use the time to repair the road,” he recalls.
The unique protest took off and at the end of the day the road was motorable to the delight of the protestors.
Mr Naik now uses the same formula to deal with similar complaints and himself provides the earthmover and trucks if need be and arranges for the laterite powder for filling potholes.
Villagers meanwhile make ‘ganji’ and other traditional food for all those hard at work, turning the event into a true community affair.
