MARGAO
Madgaokars had woken up on July 8, 2023 to hear the disturbing news of the Margao Urban Health Centre’s heritage building crumbling in the wee hours of the day.
A year later, citizens of Margao in particular and Salcete in general will find the heritage building yet to be restored to its past glory, throwing up a question or two on the seriousness in protecting the heritage for posterity.
In fact, many had come across the heritage structure covered with tarpaulin sheets after the collapse. A year later, the tarpaulin sheets have still not disappeared from the health centre building, indicating that work to repair and restore the building is still underway.
Many a question, however, remains unanswered. One, why was a year not sufficient for the government to repair and restore the heritage structure when the initiate estimates worked out by the PWD was mere Rs 13 lakh? Is it because the tender was not immediately floated by the government, resulting in the delay. Or, it is because that the lone bidder had quoted 42 per cent above the estimated cost, prompting the PWD to forward the proposal to the State Works department to take a call on the lone bidder?
If sources are to be believed, the government took some time to float a tender to take up the repair and restoration work of the Urban health building. What caused further delay in deciding on the question whether to accept the lone bidder or not was the State Works department literally sitting on the file for a long time.
When it was finally decided by the Public Works department not to accord its nod for the 42 per cent hike in tender rates or for a lone bidder to take up the work, the PWD roped in a contractor to complete the work, which is presently underway.
If sources are to be believed, while the work of rebuilding the top portion of the building façade stands completed, it may take some months to complete the work of plastering the façade and to give final touches to the interior work.
Presently, the Margao Urban Health centre is functioning from the old Hospicio building. Take note, the functioning of the health centre had to be shifted after a 'sajja' of the Hospicio building had come down last year.
