MARGAO
Former Margao Municipal Chairperson and Convenor of Shadow Council for Margao Savio Coutinho has said there will not be another incident of building/structure collapse in Margao and the authorities will not wake up once again, only to go back into slumber after some time.
“This is the exact description we can give of our authorities, which includes the disaster management cell and the Margao Municipal Council,” he said.
Saying that at least twice in a year minor incidents of building/structure collapse are being reported in Margao, Coutinho said “immediately thereafter, we find elected representatives of various levels, and government officials rushing to the site and expressing concern over the matter”.
He added: The district magistrate dashes out orders to the MMC to conduct survey and identify all structures in dilapidated condition in the city. Thereafter everything goes silent”.
He said while it seems to be beyond doubt that the concerned authorities are not serious about the actual buildings that are in dilapidated condition, he said citizens are being forced to believe that on the pretext of safety, much stronger buildings are taken over by real estate developers, and get demolished, after getting the benefits of double FAR with zone change. And the actual dilapidated structures continue to remain as they are.”
Coutinho demanded that the authorities come clear and show their seriousness on this issue.
