MARGAO
Politicos rushing to the Margao Urban Health Centre after the collapse of the building façade during the weekend may have to answer a question or two from Madgavkars – will the incident come as an eye opener to the Margao Municipal Council and the MLAs controlling the civic body with old and dilapidated buildings dotting across the commercial capital posing danger to the lives and property of citizens?
For, the buck seemed to have stopped at the doorsteps of the Margao civic body after the South District Collector had told the Municipality last year to update the list of old, dilapidated and unsafe buildings located in the Municipal jurisdiction.
In fact, MLAs representing Margao Digambar Kamat and his Fatorda counterpart Vijai Sardesai, besides Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar came under flak on social media after they all descended at the Margao Urban Health Centre to supervise and monitor the debris clearing operation at the spot.
Questions were indeed raised whether the MLAs and the Margao civic chief would at least now accord priority in updating the list of dilapidated building to ensure that buildings under distress do not come crumbling down endangering the lives of citizens.
While the Margao Municipal Council’s emergency Seva came in for praise for moving swiftly to clear the debris, Chairperson Damu Shirodkar will have to grapple with an often-asked question – will the Chairperson activate the MMC technical section to update the list of the old and dilapidated buildings in the interest of the citizens?
And, whether the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who is controlling the BJP-ruled Margao Municipal Council, will get the civic body to update and compile a fresh list of dilapidated buildings and help resolve the issues coming in the way of razing down the dangerous and unsafe buildings?
For, sources in the know say the issue of unsafe and dilapidated buildings have not received the priority and attention it deserves over the years for reasons best known to the city fathers and the Municipal babus, besides the powers that be controlling the civic body.
Take note, Margao Municipal engineers had in the recent past raised a host of questions on the identification of the old buildings and declaring them as unsafe after conducting structural stability tests. In private, officials say declaring buildings as unsafe and razing them down is a difficult proposition given that it involves a host of legal issues, including ownership and tenancy.
A citizen, however, remarked that if there are genuine issues coming in the way of demolition of the dilapidated buildings, the MLAs should get the government to intervene in public interest instead of allowing vegetation and trees to grow on these buildings and to pose danger to the citizens.
