MARGAO
The refurbished and beautified Lohia Maidan, Margao is bracing up to host the Goa Revolution Day programme on June 18 as the contractor is rushing to complete the works by June 15 deadline.
The Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA), however, has sounded a note of caution to the Margao Municipal Council over the safety of Dr Lohia’s statue. For, the GSUDA’s contractor will be again shifting the statue of Dr Lohia to facilitate raising the height of the pedestal, and the GSUDA making it categorically clear to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer that the onus of the safety of the statue will be solely on the officials of the freedom fighters association.
While work on the renovation of the historic maidan, from where the great Indian Nationalist and socialist leader, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia had given a clarion call to Goans to rise and oppose the oppressive Portuguese regime, has reached the final stages, Dr Lohia’s statue will be brought down from the pedestal once again in a day or two to increase the height of the platform.
The contractor, Saif informed that Dr Lohia’s statue was installed at the Lohia Maidan on a pedestal approved by the GSUDA consultant. However, since the members of the freedom fighters association felt that the pedestal erected inside the maidan was less than a metre height, the agency was requested to increase the height of the pedestal to ensure that Dr Lohia’s statue stands tall at the historic place.
The contractor, however, informed that the statue was installed at the place in concrete and the operation to shift the statue again to raise the pedestal runs the risk of causing damage to the statue.
GSUDA officials have dashed off a letter to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer stating that while the agency has conceded the request of the MMC and the freedom fighters association to increase the height of the pedestal, it will not shoulder the blame if any damage is caused to the statue during the shifting.
The contractor pointed out that work on the beautification of the Lohia Maidan is also complete and the historic place will be handed over to the Margao municipality by June 15.
Activist Mahesh Nayak, representing NGO Jai Damodar Association said he had got the contractor to deploy additional labourers to ensure that the maidan was ready in all respects to host the Goa Revolution Day on 18 June this year.
