The building is finally razed down following instructions from the South Goa Collector, Egna Cleetus. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The Cabeça de Calcondem building in the heart of the commercial capital is now in the final stages of demolition”nearly seven years after the Goa Engineering College declared the structure unsafe.
The demolition comes exactly two years after the then South Goa District Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS, directed the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to raze the building in November 2023. However, with both the MMC and the South Goa demolition squad dragging their feet for over two years, it was Chandru’s successor, Egna Cleetus, IAS, who finally set the process in motion by instructing the Public Works Department to carry out the demolition and recover the cost from the building owners and occupants.
Incidentally, the occupants themselves ultimately undertook the demolition at an estimated cost of around Rs seven lakh by engaging a private contractor”after the PWD floated a tender proposing to demolish the structure for Rs 26 lakh.
While the contractor engaged for the task is expected to clear the debris within the next couple of days, the demolition has thrown up several critical questions that the District Disaster Management Authority, the Margao Municipal Council, and other concerned authorities will now have to confront. What about the dozens of other dilapidated buildings scattered across the commercial capital? Are they safe for human occupation? If not, who is responsible for initiating action”whether through repairs, rehabilitation, or demolition”in the interest of public safety and security?
These questions are likely to haunt both the Disaster Management Authority and the MMC, especially since the process initiated after the partial collapse of two buildings in the city last May appears to have lost momentum for reasons best known to the authorities.
Following the partial collapse of the building near Pimpalkatta and another structure on Cine Lata Road, the authorities had contemplated decisive action, including evacuation of occupants, closure of commercial establishments, and directions to owners to submit structural stability reports.
The authorities must now grapple with uncomfortable but necessary questions: Are these two buildings, along with others identified by an expert panel, safe for occupation? If not, what steps have been taken by the MMC Chief Officer and the Municipal Engineer to move the process forward in the interest of public safety? Or will action be taken only after a disaster strikes the city and innocent lives are lost?
