Gandhinagar: The latest statement of State Education Minister Kuber Dindor has stirred controversy. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Dindor suggested that instead of merely complaining about pothole-ridden roads, people should take the initiative to fill them up themselves.

Speaking at a public event, Dindor said, “Should the administration do everything by itself? We also have a responsibility. When there’s a pothole, people just call the municipality, and until someone actually goes there, nothing gets done. If there’s water accumulated somewhere, I say, just take a vessel of soil and fill it up.” Even if the road isn’t completely fixed, at least do what you can. Whenever something happens, people immediately say it’s the government’s responsibility. But we also have our own responsibility, and people need to be made aware of that.”

Recalling an incident when someone called him about potholes, the minister said, “I told them, I’m coming over, get the bucket ready and bring Trikam (spade) along. Keep one bucket ready, and in 2–3 minutes, the pothole will be filled. Put in some stones and mud, and it gets done, right? I told him that and they filled the pothole themselves. If I had waited for the R&B department, they would say, ‘Okay, I’ll send someone,’ then that person might be somewhere else, and it could take two days. Meanwhile, two bikes could fall into the pothole and cause damage. So it’s also our responsibility, it’s part of our civic duty. Along with the fundamental rights and freedoms our Constitution gives us, people often talk only about those rights. But no one talks about our duties. This, too, is a fundamental duty of a citizen.”

With the video going round on social media, many criticized the minister for seemingly shifting the government’s responsibility onto citizens, arguing that road maintenance is fundamentally the government’s duty.

While some have supported his call for civic participation, many have pointed out that essential public infrastructure should remain the government’s responsibility, and such statements appear to deflect accountability. DeshGujarat