Margao ZAO functioning from ‘waterlogged’ premises

MARGAOrrHoused in the crumbling comunidade building in the heart of the commercial capital, water seepage into the premise has been rampant in the ZAO over the years. Pleas by the staff and the department to the government to shift the office to a safe premises has fallen on deaf ears. rWhen a media team visited the ZAO on Thursday, they were shocked to find the office waterlogged. A staff member was seen collecting the water accumulated on the floor in a dustpan in a bid to drain out the water.r Staff members pointed out that this has been going on for the last couple of years. “The entire Agriculture department knows of the state of affairs of the ZAO during monsoon, but no efforts have been made to shift the premises to a safe and secure premises till date,” remarked a employee.r The employees, however, have now pinned their hopes on Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai to provide them with new premises at the earliest after his return from abroad.r A senior agriculture officer told the media that a proposal have been mooted by the department to shift the ZAO to the soil testing lab in the city. “We have moved the proposal and is awaiting a positive reply from the department,” the official informed.