MARGAO
Lohia Maidan has received a facelift befitting the historic place, symbolizing free speech and expression, from where the great Indian nationalist Ram Manohar Lohia gave a call for Goa’s liberation from the Portuguese yoke.
The adjoining South Goa Administrator of Communidade building, sadly wears a sorry look, with broken window panes, shrubs and vegetation on the imposing six-decade-old building.
Even as reports spoke of plans to inaugurate the beautified Lohia Maidan in the coming days, there seemed no plans to take up the bare minimum work of clearing the vegetation from the comunidade building and giving the walls a coat of paint, leave alone replacing the damaged window panes etc.
In fact, a visit to the Lohia Maidan on Sunday revealed that the imposing Administrator of Comunidade building stands tall as an eyesore at the beautified place.
The Margao Municipal Council may contend that the maintenance of the Administrator of Comunidade building does not fall under its jurisdiction. The Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) may claim that the scope of beautification work only does not include painting the adjoining comunidade building.
The powers that be bracing up to inaugurate the beautified Lohia Maidan may have to answer a query whether it is prudent to open the historic place when the adjoining building walls give a shabby look to the entire place,
Sources in the know informed that plans by the PWD to prepare estimates for the repair and renovation of the South Goa Administrator of Comunidade building are yet to take off to date for reasons best known to the authorities.
