Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai Monday got irritated and angry after the cellphone of a Margao civic official rang continuously during a meeting.

A video of the incident, in which Sardesai is seen hitting the phone of Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik, went viral on social media, leading to the minister expressing regret later.

Sardesai was on a visit to Sonsodo garbage dump near Margao in South Goa to discuss the stopping of polluted water entering nearby wells and running into drains during the monsoon.

"We were discussing a very serious issue that pertains to the entire Salcete in general and my constituency Fatorda in particular," he said in a statement here.

"I was irritated with the phone ringing when a topic of such seriousness was being discussed and for which I had specifically come to the site," he added.

"I regret that I lost my cool and expressed the same with the MMC chief officer," Sardesai said.

Meanwhile, Naik accepted his mistake for not keeping the phone on vibration mode, and claimed someone getting irritated over it was obvious.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)