GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
The festive spirit is in the air in the commercial capital ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities, but the city’s major landmarks around the Margao Municipal Square are all craving for a coat of paint from the government.
Be it the central government’s head post office building on the northern side of the Municipal Square, the Old Collectorate building, the iconic municipal garden, the Comunidade building or the over-century-old heritage municipal building, all these are craving for a bare minimum coat of paint, leave lone beautification or renovation.
Take the case of the Old Collectorate building. Since the Collectorate was shifted to the Matanhy Saldanha Complex around half-a-decade ago, the vacant space is being filled up by many a government department -- the latest being the South Goa Zilla Panchayat. Sadly, while these departments have pumped in a lot of funds for furnishing and renovation, the building wears a shabby look.
The adjoining Margao municipal garden is no better. A destination for local and domestic tourists, the iconic garden has been craving for attention over the years. While the Margao municipality headed by Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai had resolved to take up painting of the garden fence ahead of the festive season, the ground reality remains unchanged.
The benches all-round the garden either wear a dirty look or they are in damaged condition for want of maintenance. The benches are yet to wear a new look as per the council decision.
And the less said the better about the imposing Comunidade building located right in the heart of the city. The Goan inquiries have only revealed that the Administrator of Comunidades Paresh Faldesai has now requested the Goa Engineering of College to conduct a structural stability test of the building, indicating that the fate of the six-decade old structure will be known only after the GEC submits the report.
If reports emanating from the corridors of MMC are any indications, work on painting of the heritage building is delayed over the question of which agency would be finally engaged to carry out the work.
While GSUDA was initially given the brief by the government to take up renovation of the historic Lohia Maidan and also restore the Margao municipal building with the heritage brick red paint, work was delayed for want of a firm decision by the civic body. While the MMC had resolved to take up painting of the building departmentally, Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai now says that GSUDA will take up the works of the Lohia Maidan beautification as well as paint MMC building.
Be it the central government’s head post office building on the northern side of the Municipal Square, the Old Collectorate building, the iconic municipal garden, the Comunidade building or the over-century-old heritage municipal building, all these are craving for a bare minimum coat of paint, leave lone beautification or renovation
A destination for local and domestic tourists, the iconic Margao municipal garden has been craving for attention over the years. While the Margao municipality headed by Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai had resolved to take up painting of the garden fence ahead of the festive season, the ground reality is unchanged
