Officials urged to address heritage site's deterioration, ensure safety of records
The South Goa Administrator of Comunidades building.
MARGAO
South Goa Administrator of Comunidades was the focus of attention in the Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant calling for action and the suspension of the Administrator for alleged lethargy.
Back home in the commercial capital, the fate of the decades-old South Goa Administrator of Comunidades building remains unknown. Leave alone the repairs and renovation of the imposing structure, a major landmark in the city, promised over a year ago, no official or staff has been in a position to shed light on the condition of the building, and the records stacked inside.
Under lock and key since the functioning of the Administrator of South Goa Comunidades was shifted to the Old Collectorate building a couple of years ago, if sources are to be believed, the building had not been opened by the staff and officials at least for the last 20 days to find out the condition of the structure and the records stacked inside given the heavy rains.
When The Goan called up a comunidade official to find out whether any staff or official had opened the building or visited the office to find out the ground reality given the incessant and heavy rains, the official said no one had visited the building to take stock inside in the last 20 days.
This is even though the building has witnessed large-scale water seepage every monsoon, not only threatening the structure, but the precious documents, including land records.
Incidentally, a resident of Raia, Dominic Fernandes, who had initiated an exercise to cut the trees and vegetation from the building a couple of years ago, had a fortnight ago knocked on the doors of the Margao Municipal Chief Officer to get the tree cover and vegetation removed from the building.
President of Margao Comunidade Savio Corriea lamented that officials of the Administrator of Comunidades, South, have not even bothered to find out the state of affairs inside the building when the city and State are lashed by heavy rains. “This attitude is unbecoming of government servants, more so when the Administrator is the custodian of the comunidade documents and records,” Corriea lamented.
He added: “After the office of the Administrator of Comunidades, South was shifted to the Old Collectorate building, the records were left behind by the officials. We do not know the fate of the documents stacked inside.”
Corriea said the components of Comunidades will write a letter to the Comunidade Administrator to open the building and allow the components to inspect the condition inside. “We are very much concerned about the fate of the documents, which might have been exposed to the vagaries of weather, including the monsoons," he added.
Building repairs in limbo, govt accused of 'takeover' attempt
The government’s much-publicised plan to restore the imposing South Goa Administrator of Comunidades building has failed to take off after the tender to execute the project received a lukewarm response from bidders.
Meanwhile, the components of South Goa Comundiades have also red-flagged the government’s proposal to restore the building without taking the comunidades into confidence. The components say the proposal to restore the building without taking them into confidence is a clear attempt to take away their ownership of the building.
The PWD had tendered the repair and restoration work of the Administrator of Comunidades building during the tenure of PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral. The project, however, hit a roadblock after a lone bidder placed bids and the proposal was forwarded to the State Works Committee for a decision.
President of Margao Comunidade Savio Corriea said the components have time and again insisted that they would undertake repairs of the building. “The components have even allocated funds for the repairs and restoration works, but somehow we have a feeling that the government does not want to engage us in the repairs and restoration work. We want to make it clear again that the components are all ready and willing to carry out the repairs and restoration work,” he added.
