MARGAO
In an interesting development, the district administration on Saturday sought requisition of the Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School at Ambaji-Fatorda under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, throwing up questions why the spacious Ravindra Bhavan premises was not considered to house the swab collection centre.
While the nuns residing at the school campus were willing to permit the premise to be utilized for the proposed vaccination centre, they made a fervent plea to the authorities not to set up a Covid swab collection centre at the school premises as a number of nuns were staying inside the campus.
The nuns approached local Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and also spoke to the district authorities with a plea to spare the school premises from becoming a swab collection centre as a couple of senior citizen nuns are also staying at the campus.
A senior nun told The Goan that the nuns were all ready to given the higher secondary premises for the proposed Covid vaccination centre.
In fact, the district authorities had issued a requisition order under the Disaster Management Act, requisitioning the ground floor of the Presentation Higher Secondary school, Ambaji-Fatorda, with immediate effect.
While the head of the department/office was directed to hand over the possession of the premises to the Medical Superintendent, Hospicio hospital till further orders, the order had warned of action under section 57 of the Disaster Management Act in case of contravention of the order.
Sources informed that the Hospicio authorities had even made their presence felt at the Presentation Higher Secondary School on Saturday evening.
However, by evening, the nuns were given an assurance that the premises will not be requisitioned for swab collection. The nuns, however, knocked the doors of the MLA again after an order issued by the district authorities requisitioning the premises did the rounds on social media.
Sardesai, however, assured that the proposal to requisition the higher secondary school has been dropped, giving relief to the nuns.
Questions are being asked why the spacious Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, is not been utilized to set up a Covid swab collection centre.
Sources said that district hospital doctors had given their nod for the shifting of the swab collection centre from the district hospital to the Ravindra Bhavan to avoid the chaotic situation and to make additional space for the Covid casualty.
