Patients and visitors may have had a lucky escape from the early Saturday collapse of the facade of the heritage building that housed the Margao . However, the incident raises the question of why authorities continue to take chances with lives, primarily when it is known that over 30 structures in the commercial capital are in dilapidated condition.
The Margao incident could have been catastrophic if it had happened during regular hours when patients and visitors walk in. A week of consistent rainfall was enough to bring down a frontal wall and has exposed the utter callousness with which the city fathers and authorities have taken the issue of dilapidated structures dotting Margao.
Margao is rich in heritage, with many structures dating back to the colonial era. But, it is baffling that there has been no timely maintenance or plan to undertake restoration. A list of such structures that were prepared over a decade ago has not been updated or forgotten, leaving one to wonder whether there is any intent in acting or whether we need tragedies to get the wheels of administration moving.
On Saturday, when the Health Centre portion collapsed, politicos rushed to the scene to make their presence visible, leaving a question wide open on what these leaders have done to raise the issue of those structures that are visibly weak.
The Old Hospicio Building, Margao Municipal Building, Camara de Salcete Building at Old Market, and the Administrator of Comunidade building were once upon a time imposing structures that formed the identity of the City. Today, they are almost in ruins, and nobody seems to care about renovation, while everyone takes pride in Goa's heritage. A cursory look is enough to explain that these structures need renovation.
If we are serious about preserving heritage, a structural stability test of all such buildings should have been conducted long back. Merely compiling lists and not acting upon them will not help.
It is a sorry state of affairs that the Margao Municipality building, which in itself is a piece of heritage situated right in the heart of the City, is being neglected, with the city fathers doing precious little to restore it to its past glory. From leaking ceilings and water seepages to unkept walls, the civic building is a shining example of how heritage assets are treated.
The crumbling Betul Fort, known to be built by Chhatrapati Shivaji, is another testimony of how heritage is being allowed to erode. Lest we forget, it was that the 'devotion' to Shivaji that had triggered a bizarre tussle over erecting a statue at Calangute, leaving aside the allegiance to the Maratha warrior that spurred the CM into a comment of wiping off the colonial footprint. The crumbling fort again highlights that optics and respecting heritage are two sides of the spectrum.
It's time to act instead of paying lip service to heritage, and it's time to stop the rhetoric. The Margao Urban Health Centre structure collapse is a sad reminder that we need to preserve these structures before they are wiped off from the face of Goa.
