MARGAO
The imposing South Goa Administrator of Comunidade building may get a fresh lease of life with the Public Works Department (PWD) floating a Rs 2.11 crore e-tender towards the repair and maintenance of the six-decade-old structure. In the heart of the commercial capital, the building has been lying neglected over the years for want of upkeep.
Components of comunidade bodies, however, see red over how the government is going about the work without taking them in the loop. Leave alone taking the stakeholders into confidence, the components pointed out that the office of the comunidade administration did not show the bare minimum courtesy of making available a copy of the e-tender floated by the PWD for the urgent maintenance and repairs to the building.
The last date of the online submission of bids is scheduled on August 1 and the tender will be opened on August 3, which may shed light on the successful bidder. Components, however, are at sea over issues such as ownership and tenancy rights, auctioning of space et al.
The issue had found mention in the ongoing session of the legislative assembly when Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferriera had put up a question to Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, who replied in the affirmative whether there are plans to take up the work of repairs and maintenance of the building.
“It’s indeed surprising that the government is taking up the maintenance work on the Administrator of comunidade building without taking the South components into confidence. The government has assured to take the components into confidence by inviting them for discussions. Let us wait and see,” Ferriera said.
President of Margao comunidade Savio Corriea echoed similar sentiments. “How can the government or the PWD go ahead with the tender without taking the components into confidence? We had all along expressed our willingness to take up the work of maintenance and repair to the building as a depository work, wherein the components deposit the funds with the PWD to execute the work,” he said.
Savio added: “Now, we have been given to understand that the PWD has floated a tender to take up the maintenance work for Rs 2.11 crore. We will welcome the government's initiative if the PWD will only repair the building and hand it back to the components and there are no strings attached to the government work.”
He raised a host of questions for the government to answer given that the building is enjoying a prime location in the commercial capital -- Whether the government would take over the ownership of the building after investing money in repairs and maintenance? Who would be authorised to auction the space after the renovation etc?
Savio reminded that the comunidade components were all ready to take up the maintenance work, with a couple of them making budgetary provisions to arrange funds for the same.
Margao comunidade attorney Celestino Norohna echoed similar sentiments. He said the components have not been officially told that the PWD has e-tendered the work.
“To date, the comunidade components have not been taken into confidence how the government will go about the work. We had all along expressed our willingness to repair the building as a depository work with our funds,” he said.
PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral on January 26 had a meeting with the components of the South Goa comunidade in a bid to restore the six-decades-old structure lying in a state of utter neglect for want of maintenance. The exercise has now culminated in the floating of an e-tender by the PWD towards the maintenance and repairs of the building for Rs 2.11 crore.
