THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: The over-century old Margao Municipal building will have to wait for the Vigilance to cap the ongoing inquiry into the tenders floated by the Civic body before the building is decked up with a coat of paint.
Margao Municipal Council’s plan to go for the exterior painting of the over century old building, the commercial capital’s popular landmark, has come a cropper after the Civic body has received a communique from the government to keep the plan on hold till the Vigilance caps the ongoing inquiry.
The MMC had tendered the work of exterior painting of the building at a cost of Rs 6.89 lakhs along with 63 other tenders, which had later come under the scanner of the Vigilance following a complaint made by citizens over duplication of works.
While the government had later exempted the works of desilting of the drains and construction of shades for the baling machines from the purview of the inquiry, the work of painting of the MMC building is kept on hold as the government has not given the exemption.
Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes said that while the MMC building is craving for a coat of paint, the Civic body will have to wait till the government gives the go-ahead signal.
One of the major landmarks in the commercial capitals, the MMC building has been craving attention from the powers that be.
Convenor of Shadow Council for Margao Savio Coutinho said the NGO cannot be blamed for the delay in the painting of the MMC building.
“We had never objected to the painting work of the building, but the Council was more interested in getting the clearance to execute the baling shed and desilting works, as some of them had vested interests in the same. These works were cleared way back in May 2020 and work orders were also issued. However the desilting works were not executed fully, while the shed works are yet to commence”, he added.
Coutinho said the Library work and painting work was ignored and clearance was not sought for the same at the time when the matter was before the Lokayukta.
Shadow Council for Margao had raised objections specifically to the works within the different wards, many of which were already existing or already executed and not to the painting of the MMC building, he added.
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