MARGAO
Finally, the Public Works Department (PWD) has commenced the repair and renovation work on the Margao Urban Health Centre building, eight months after the façade of the building had crumbled in July last year.
In fact, senior PWD officials informed that the repair and renovation work on the heritage building commenced a day ago, with workers on the job to restore the damaged portion of the building at the earliest.
The Goan had during the weekend highlighted how the government had left the building in a damaged state for the last eight months without any repair work.
A senior PWD official informed that the restoration work had commenced a day ago after the contactor engaged by the department mobilised the men and machinery to take the work to its logical conclusion.
Sources said the contractor has been told to complete the work before the onset of monsoons. “Since the Margao Urban Health Centre building is considered a heritage structure, the contractor has been told to take care not to rush with the work, but to ensure that work is carried out by taking all factors into consideration,” sources said.
The PWD had a couple of months ago floated a tender to take up the repair and restoration work, but actual work could not start since a lone bidder had submitted the bid above the tendered amount. While the bid was later sent to the government for an appropriate decision, the same did not find favour with the authorities, causing the delay in taking up the work.
PWD officials now say the work is being taken up through quotations so that the work is completed in all respects before the onset of monsoons.
Since the façade of the building had come crumbling down in July last, the health centre has been operating from the Hospicio annex building. The functioning was recently shifted to the old Hospicio heritage building after the sajja of the annex building came crashing down, raising fears over the stability of the building.
