MARGAO
Overgrown trees and vegetation on the imposing South Goa Administrator of Comunidades building, besides broken windows and damaged panes welcome visitors to the historic Lohia Maidan “ from where the great Indian nationalist Dr Ram Manohar Lohia along with Dr Juliao Menezes had given a clarion call to Goans to arise and oust the Portuguese regime from the land.
Indeed, while the Lohia Maidan has been renovated and beautified by the government, the adjoining Comunidade building continues to remain as an eyesore right in the heart of the commercial capital.
A visit to the Lohia Maidan shows the dilapidated state of the imposing Comunidade structure, a major landmark around the Margao Municipal square. When the beautified Lohia Maidan was inaugurated over a year and half ago, the powers that be had promised to bring a turnaround of the adjoining Comunidade building.
Sadly, no one knows the fate of the government’s attempt to restore the Comunidade building to its pristine glory. While the PWD had floated a tender to repair and renovate the Comunidade building at an estimated cost of Rs three crore, the project could not take off since the PWD received a single bid for the tender.
Recently, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat told the Administrator of South Goa Comunidades to find out the status of the PWD tender, whether the tender can be revived or the guidelines mandate floating a fresh tender.
Incidentally, while the South Goa Comunidades Forum have time and again expressed their willingness to take up the repair work, components have charged the government for failing to take them into confidence on the building restoration work.
