Axe falls on Cabeça de Calcondem, unsafe building finally being razed

A worker on the job to raze down the Cabeça de Calcondem building, which was declared unsafe in 2018.

MARGAO
The axe has finally fallen on the Cabeça de Calcondem building, located in the heart of the commercial capital, nearly seven years after a structural stability test conducted by the Goa College of Engineering declared it unsafe in 2018.
The demolition exercise, which began on Monday, will at last bring the curtain down on the long-drawn saga surrounding the building. The episode not only highlighted the growing problem of unsafe and dilapidated structures scattered across the commercial capital but also laid bare the inefficiency of the authorities — including the Margao Municipal Council and the demolition squad — who were found dragging their feet in taking timely action to bring down the unsafe structure.
It’s a sheer coincidence that the building is being razed down exactly around two years after then South Goa District Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS, had issued an order under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act to the Margao Municipal Council to demolish the structure around November 2023.
However, nothing moved between November 2023 and May 2025, even as verandas of old and crumbling buildings in the city began collapsing. The Collector’s order was virtually ignored by the Margao Municipal Council and the demolition squad, who failed to take it to its logical conclusion.
Momentum for the demolition only gathered after portions of a few buildings in the city collapsed in May last year. Taking serious note of the situation, incumbent District Collector Egna Cletus made it clear that she meant business. She issued a fresh directive in Margao to the Executive Engineer, PWD Division VIII, to carry out the demolition of the Cabeça de Calcondem building to avert any potential loss of life or property.
It was only after Collector Cletus, in her capacity as Chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, invoked powers under Section 30(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, directing the PWD to undertake the demolition, that the footwear showroom operating on the ground floor of the unsafe building was finally shut down.
What further prompted the Collector’s intervention was a submission by Margao Municipal Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz, who admitted his inability to demolish the unsafe building, citing a lack of funds and manpower.
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Demolition to cost owners Rs 7.5 lakh
The demolition exercise is expected to cost the building owners around Rs 7.5 lakh, even though the PWD’s initial estimate had pegged the cost at a staggering Rs 23 lakh.
The contractor engaged by the owners has assured that the demolition will be completed within 15 to 20 days. Work has already begun, with labourers using breakers and other equipment, while heavy machinery is expected to move in over the next few days to expedite the process.
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Run from pillar to post: Apartment
owner’s seven-year struggle ends
MARGAO: An apartment owner had to virtually run from pillar to post for seven long years to get the unsafe Cabeça de Calcondem building demolished — ever since he first approached the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) in 2018.
Apartment owner Colin Coelho was the first to set the ball rolling for the demolition back in 2018, when he knocked on the doors of the Margao municipality, urging action against the dangerously unstable structure. His efforts led the civic body to issue notices to the building’s owners.
Colin’s case was further strengthened by a structural stability test report from the Goa College of Engineering in 2018, which categorically declared that the building was not only unsafe but also beyond repair.
However, it soon became evident that the MMC remained unmoved despite the damning report. Colin’s repeated correspondence with the civic body and appeals to higher authorities, including the Director of Municipal Administration, yielded nothing more than assurances — without any concrete action.
With the matter languishing in bureaucratic limbo for over five years, Colin finally approached then South Goa District Collector Asvin Chandru, IAS, who promptly issued an order in November 2023 directing the Margao Municipality to demolish the unsafe building.
But the order, too, failed to translate into action. The Margao municipality and the demolition squad kept passing the buck, each blaming the other for the delay. To make matters worse, the ground floor of the unsafe structure continued to house a footwear showroom, further complicating the process.
Left with no other option, Colin finally turned to the High Court, seeking directions to the authorities to demolish the building in line with the 2018 structural stability test report.
“I had to virtually run from pillar to post since 2018,” Colin said. “Despite the structural stability test clearly stating that the building was unsafe, the authorities kept dragging their feet. I had no choice but to file a petition in the High Court. I am relieved that the authorities have finally cleared all decks for the demolition.”