The Lift in the Osia Commercial complex leading to the TCP and SGDPA offices on the building fifth floor was found shut down on Thursday.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Visitors to the offices of the Town and Country planning (TCP) and South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGDPA) are facing a nightmare, but for a different reason.
Blame it on apathy and indifference of the government officials or otherwise, the lift connecting the ground floor of the Osia Commercial Complex at Old market to the fifth floor is often out of order or not functioning, throwing up the oft-repeated question why government offices are still operating from the private commercial complex when the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex was set up to accommodate all government departments under one roof.
The issue of the non-functioning elevator had bothered the visitors to the offices of SGDPA and TCP, so much so that while is sometimes found functioning on some days, it is stuck up on other days for reasons best known to the TCP and PDA officials.
When The Goan called up Senior Town Planner Ranjit Borkar to shed light on the non-functioning lift with visitors having official work with the TCP are forced to climb the stairs to make it to the fifth floor, he was forthright in saying the lift is being operated by the SGDPA office.
SGPDA Member Secretary Shaikh Ali, however, did not respond to the calls made on his telephone number till late Thursday.
Beleaguered visitors, however, have slammed the government for the sorry state of affairs, saying the visitors are entitled for a lift facility when the two offices are located on the fifth floor of the Osia Commercial building complex.
In fact, visitors have questioned why the TCP office and other government offices, including the Transport department, have still not been shifted to the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative complex till date.
Activist Domnick Norohha slammed the TCP and the SGPDA for their failure to provide the lift facility to the visiting public. “These are public offices and the visitors who come to these offices are entitled for lift service. If they cannot provide the lift service, the government should immediate shift the office to the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex”, he demanded.
Norohna has demanded an inquiry by the Chief Secretary to find out who is responsible for putting members of the public to hardships just to make it to these public offices.
