The 118-year Margao municipal building.
Photo Credits: The Goan
Is the 118-year-old Margao Municipal building fireproof? Does the heritage building conform to the fire prevention norms and guidelines laid down by the Fire Services?
Or are the Margao City Fathers, babus and the powers that be waiting for a fire to engulf the century-old building?
Well, Tuesday morning's inferno at the Margao Municipality-owned New Market building has brought back to sharp focus the Margao Municipal building. For, the building had come under the scanner of fire services as well as the citizens after the Councilors' Room on the first floor of the building witnessed a minor fire, presumably due to overheating of the air conditioner.
The question that has come back to haunt the Margao City Fathers and civic officials is simple – have the civic body and the Fire Services conducted an audit of the heritage building? And, if yes, has the municipality implemented the recommendations made by the Fire services to make the over-century-old building fireproof?
Or, has the municipality completely forgotten the March 2023 fire incident, though minor, as the recommendations of the fire department to tone up the fire safety measures are nowhere in place in the municipal building.
Indeed, when the minor fire triggered panic and fear in the corridors of the civic body in March last, everyone, right from the councillors to officials and the fire officials, asked a common question – what would have happened to the municipal building had the fire taken place after office hours, late at night?
For, the municipal building has no siren in place to raise a fire alarm in times of an emergency. The building has no provision for a fire retardant system, considering that the major component of the heritage building comprises wooden material.
When 'The Goan' contacted a senior official of the Fire Services to shed light on whether the department had at any time conducted a fire audit of the MMC heritage building to make the structure fireproof, the official was quick to point out that the Fire Services must have made umpteen number of letters to the Margao Municipality to implement fire preventive measures. “We can only conduct a fire audit and make recommendations. It is then for the municipal body to take a decision on the implementation of the recommendations,” the official said.
A senior Margao municipal official told 'The Goan' that he has been informed by a municipal staff that after the minor fire incident in March this year, the civic body had written to the fire department to conduct an audit.
“I will find out the status of the official correspondence made by the MMC to the fire services. If the letter has not gone, I will ensure that a fresh letter goes to the Fire Services to conduct an audit of the MMC heritage building with recommendations,” the official said. “Once we are in receipt of the fire prevention recommendations, the same will be placed before the council for an appropriate action and implementation.”
