BJP Government Is Pushing Citizens Into Hardship By Shifting Public Records Office Away From Public Reach” : Goa Pradesh Congress Committee

GoaKhabar: Chairman of the Media & Communication Department of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Amarnath Panjikar, strongly criticized the BJP Government’s decision to shift the Office of Public Records (PRO), Altinho, Panaji — a Sub-Office of the Department of Archives — to Alcon House, Kadamba Plateau, Ribandar-Goa, terming the move as anti-people, insensitive, and completely disconnected from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.

Amarnath Panjikar stated that the Office of Public Records is a vital public service institution where citizens regularly visit to obtain important documents such as birth and death records, travel records, and other essential archival documents required for education, employment, legal procedures, passports, and family matters. Shifting such an important office from a centrally accessible location to a comparatively isolated area with poor public transport connectivity will create unnecessary hardship for thousands of people, particularly senior citizens, students, daily wage earners, and residents from South Goa.

He said that while the BJP Government repeatedly speaks about “ease of living” and “good governance,” its actions are proving exactly the opposite. “The Government is making public services more difficult, expensive, and inaccessible for common people. Instead of improving citizen convenience, the administration is forcing people to travel longer distances, spend more money, and waste valuable time merely to access basic government services,” Panjikar said.

Amarnath Panjikar further pointed out that the Kadamba Plateau-Ribandar route still lacks adequate and reliable public transport facilities, making the situation worse for citizens who depend entirely on buses and public transportation. He questioned whether the Government conducted any public consultation, accessibility assessment, or impact study before taking such an arbitrary decision.

“The BJP Government appears more interested in administrative convenience and publicity-driven decisions than in understanding the suffering of ordinary people. Governance cannot function with a ‘shift first, think later’ attitude. Every government department exists to serve citizens, not inconvenience them,” he added.

Panjikar urged the Government to immediately reconsider the decision and retain the Office of Public Records at an easily accessible location in Panaji or identify an alternative location that ensures convenience and proper connectivity for the public.

He asserted that public institutions must remain people-centric and accessible, and warned that citizens of Goa will not remain silent against decisions that increase their daily struggles under the present BJP Government.