Dangers posed by old buildings return to haunt MMC

Is this building safe and does not pose any danger to the life and property of citizens

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO

An order issued by the South Goa District Disaster Management Authority on the pre-monsoon preparedness in the district has triggered the same old debate on the old and dilapidated buildings dotting the commercial capital – are these buildings safe and do not pose any danger to the life and property of citizens?

Amongst the host of directives issued by the Chairperson, district Disaster Management Authority, Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS, there’s a clear direction to the local civic bodies to undertake necessary action to prevent collapse/damage by dangerous buildings and structures in dilapidated conditions in South Goa District.

This directive assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the commercial capital had witnessed a couple of incidents, wherein portions of old and dilapidated buildings had come crumbling down in the last three monsoons. The directive assumes further significance when  a number of old and dilapidated building are standing tall across the city, throwing up a moot question, whether these buildings, some of which have been virtually lying in state of ruins, safe?

It could not be ascertained whether the Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar has directed his technical team to conduct a fresh survey of all the old and dilapidated buildings dotting the commercial capital.

For, when The Goan called up the MMC technical engineer to shed light on the district Disaster Management Authority (DMA) to undertake necessary action to prevent the collapse/damage by dangerous buildings and structures in a dilapidated conditions in the city, he said no such survey has been carried out by the civic body.

The engineer, however, hastened to add that the MMC is believed to have furnished the same old list of dilapidated buildings to the disaster Management Authority.

Incidentally, the list of old and dilapidated buildings was compiled by the MMC over a decade ago. A couple of these buildings were declared safe after the owners produced the structural stability report to the MMC.

Around two years ago, when the then South Goa district Disaster Management Authority Chairperson had asked the MMC to submit a list of old and dilapidated buildings in the city, the civic body had submitted the same old list, only to receive directions from the district Collector to conduct a fresh survey of the dilapidated buildings.