Margao: As curtains are set to come down on Year 2023, can these heritage buildings covered with plastic sheets to prevent further damage to the structures, look forward to a turnaround in the coming New Year.
Be it the 118-year-old heritage Margao Municipal building, the imposing Administrator of Comunidade building or the Margao Urban Health Centre, whose façade came crashing down during the last monsoons, these buildings have been craving for a turnaround in 2023, but in vain.
Files for the repairs and renovation of the Comunidade building and the Urban Health Centre building have been stuck at the government level over the last two months. With a change of guard in the PWD and the department now presided over by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant himself after the exit of outgoing Minister Nilesh Cabral, questions are being raised over the sanction for these works, the date of execution and their completion. Similarly, the proposal for the renovation of the Margao Municipal heritage building has been pending in the office of the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA).
Margao Urban Health Centre
A portion of the façade of the heritage building came crashing down in the wee hours of July 8 last during monsoons. Immediately, the Urban Health services were shifted to the old Hospicio heritage building, while the damaged health centre was covered with a plastic tarpaulin sheet to prevent further damage during the rains.
It’s now more than five months since the façade of the UHC building crumbled, but the repairs and renovation of the heritage structure are yet to start till date. It is also unclear whether the PWD has obtained a structural stability certificate from private agencies or the department.
Take note, the PWD, Buildings was quick to float a tender estimated around ₹9 lakh towards the repairs of the building. However, since the PWD received a lone bid for the building repair work, the same was forwarded to the PWD headquarters for sanction and approval.
Sadly, the State Works Advisory Committee is yet to take a call on whether to accept the lone bid or go for a fresh tender to execute the repair works. In fact, questions are being raised as to why the State Works Panel has not shown any urgency in holding a meeting to take a call on the lone bid received for the UHC repair work, more so when the damaged building has turned an eyesore with a blue coloured plastic sheet hanging over the structure for want of repairs.
Administrator of Comunidades Building
The over six-decades-old imposing building, a major landmark in the heart of the commercial capital, has been craving for attention over the years.
Hopes were finally raised when outgoing PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral initiated a move for the renovation of the imposing building at a cost of over Rs two crore. Like the Margao Urban Health Centre building, the tender floated by the PWD to take up the renovation work of the Comunidade building is stuck as the file has gone to the State Advisory Board for sanction.
Otherwise, consider this. After the PWD, Buildings had floated a tender to take up the renovation work, and a lone bidder submitted his bid for the execution of the work. Given that the PWD has no power to take a call on lone bids, the proposal was sent to the government for a decision. So far, no decision has come in till date.
That’s not all. Questions are being raised in PWD circles whether the government will take up the renovation of the Administrator of Comunidades building, more so after the exit of outgoing PWD Minister Cabral. Sources said it was at the initiative of the outgoing PWD Minister that work on the renovation of the Comunidade building was tendered by the PWD.
