Will the newly-elected Margao Municipal Council restore the Municipal building to its rich past glory by giving it a fresh coat of the brick red paint?
MARGAO
Has the newly-elected Margao Civic Chief Lyndon Pereira and the new group of elected councilors any plan to restore the over century-old Margao Municipal building to its pristine glory.
The outgoing Council had promised to bring about a turn-around, even promising to deck up the building with a coat of the old brick red colour paint, but in vain.
This question is doing the rounds in the corridors of the Municipal building after the last Council had failed to deck up the Municipal seat of power since the Portuguese-era.
Take note, the outgoing Council had included the building painting work in the list of development works, but could not go ahead with the work after they all came under the scanner of the Vigilance and the Lokayutka.
No doubt, painting is ruled out during the monsoons, but the City Fathers and the Civic Babus have a task clear, to prepare the ground work and brace up to give a new look for the Municipal building in time for the Diwali festival.
The Goan understands that Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes tried to exclude the building painting work from the ambit of the ongoing inquiry into the list of development works on the plea that there cannot be duplication of painting work.
His efforts, however, has come a cropper after the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) hasn’t yet replied to the correspondence from the MMC to exclude the painting work from the inquiry. “I had written to the government to at least exclude the painting work from the ambit of the Vigilance inquiry. I am still awaiting a reply”, he said.
The MMC Chief was clear in saying the heritage is craving for a new look, promising to find a way out to get the building painting at the earliest. “Not only the building is badly in need of a fresh coat of paint, but the imposing structure has been craving for maintenance. During my recent inspection of the building, I stumbled upon a passage which was in bad state. We will have to put a plan in place wherein the work is re-tendered again, not just to undertake the painting, but maintenance as well”, he said.
The last the MMC building was painted was over a decade ago, when the Municipality had given a go-ahead signal to change the colour from brick red to yellow. The last council had resolved to restore the building to its past glory by reverting back to the old brick red colour coat.
