Govt caught napping on upkeep, maintenance of heritage bldgs
THE GOAN NETWORK
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MARGAO As the collapse of the façade of the Margao Urban Health Centre has brought to the fore the question of heritage facing danger of collapse, the Camara de Salcete building (Old Margao Municipal building), the South Goa Administrator of Comunidade building, the over century and half year old Hospicio building and the 118-year old Margao Municipal building has come into sharp focus.
Barring the Camara de Salcete building, which is under private ownership and the Administrator of Comunidade building, owned by the components of Comunidade, the Old Hospicio and the Margao Municipal Council building comes under the control of the government.
It’s a sheer coincidence that while the Margao Civil and Criminal Court building was covered with plastic sheets last monsoon to stop rain water seepage, a plastic sheet is protecting the façade of the Margao Urban Health Centre building, throwing up questions of upkeep and maintenance of government-owned buildings.
Camara de Salcete building
A visit to the Old Market area of the city on Sunday revealed there’s no change in the ground reality at the old Municipal building. Thick growth of vegetation has been spotted at the building site. Locals say the heritage building is posing danger to passerby for want of upkeep and maintenance.
A proposal moved by the Margao Municipal Council over a decade ago to acquire the land in question in order to maintain the heritage nature of the building has come a cropper. A fresh initiative made in 2017 to acquire the building and restore to heritage status also did not move forward because of ownership issues. Resultantly, the heritage building, which was once the seat of Municipal administration, is left to decay, with portions of the building crumbling down in recent times.
Old Hospicio building
After the shifting of the Hospicio services to the South Goa District Hospital, the heritage Hospicio building has been left vacant by the government over the last one year and half. The old Hospicio building complex had come under the scanner of the citizens after thick growth of vegetation was noticed in the garden area last year.
A plan mooted by the Church authorities to hand over a portion of the old Hospicio building to Caritas to run a charitable health care unit has so far not found favour with the government till date, raising questions over its upkeep and maintenance.
Margao Municipal building
This Portuguese-era Municipal building has recently completed 118 glorious years since the Municipal services were shifted from Camara de Salcete building to the new building.
The imposing MMC building, however, has come under the scanner of citizens with the building reporting water seepage during rains, even prompting the civic babus to cover the windows with plastic sheets.
While the renovation of this Portuguese-era building has been long overdue, incumbent Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar says the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) will take up the renovation work post-monsoons on the lines of the Mormugao Municipal building.
Administrator of Comunidade building
It’s now years since the Goa College of Engineering, Farmagudi had declared the decades old imposing building safe, but government’s plans to renovate and restore the structure to its past glory has not taken place as yet.
Hopes were raised a year ago after PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral initiated a proposal to carry out repairs and maintenance of the Comunidade building, but in vain. During the inauguration of the historic Lohia Maidan, adjoining the Comunidade building, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had promised to pursue with the government to renovate the building.
The Goan now understands that the PWD Minister had moved a file to the Finance Department seeking approval for the renovation work.
SANGUEMAn LIC officer from Mapusa and another person drowned at the Mainapi waterfall in the remote Netravali village of Sanguem taluka on Sunday afternoon.While the body of Janardhan Sadekar (55) was retrieved, efforts were on to locate the body of the other person.Sources informed that Sadekar along with his friends, which comprised 11 men and three women, had gone for a picnic at the Mainapi waterfalls.When they went to the Mainapi waterfalls, which is deep inside the…
