Delay in repairs and renovation work of Margao UHC building raises concerns

MARGAO
Government departments and local bodies alike seemed rushing with a host of tenders of development projects, apparently to beat the election code of conduct expected to come into force any time ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

Reason: The tenders are being floated so that the departments and local bodies not only complete the codal formalities before the election code of conduct comes into force, but the works are completed well before the onset of monsoons.

How about the Margao Urban Health Centre’s building, covered with a blue-coloured plastic sheet since the façade of the heritage structure came crumbling down in July 2023?

Has the government floated a fresh tender after the previous exercise initiated by the PWD to rope in contractors saw only a lone bidder submitting his bid for the repair and renovation work? Or, will the PWD come up with an alternative plan to fix the building before the onset of monsoons?

These and other questions remain unanswered as it’s exactly eight months now and the promised repairs of the Margao Urban Health Centre’s building has failed to take place till date.

If sources are to be believed, it will take minimum one month to undertake and complete repairs of the heritage building, throwing up the moot question when exactly will the PWD float a tender and issue the work order before the contractor takes up the repair work.

Take note, the PWD had floated a tender last year estimated around Rs 13 lakh to repair the building so that the functioning of the health centre resumes in the heritage building.

Unfortunately, only a lone bidder had submitted his bid to take the project, forcing the PWD buildings to forward the file to the government for acceptance of the tender.

If sources are to be believed, the file has been pending with the government for the last couple of months without any decision. Sources in the PWD now say the tender may be cancelled for want of a decision by the government since the last couple of months.

This has thrown up a moot question amongst health officials – whether the PWD will float a fresh tender to take up the repair works or will the department find a way out so that the building repair work is taken up on priority?

In fact, there’s no clarity yet on how the government will go about the repair work of the heritage building housing the Urban Health Centre or will the authorities continue to cover and protect the building with a blue-coloured plastic sheet during the monsoons and thereafter.

Doctors, staff await return of operations to UHC building

MARGAO:  When the functioning of the Margao Urban Health Centre was shifted to the vacant premise of the adjoining old Hospicio hospital building, Urban Health doctors and staff had hoped that the move to shift the operations was just a make shift arrangement to facilitate the repairs of the damaged portion of the heritage health centre building.

In the last eight months, the operations of the Margao UHC has been shifted twice, the last time after a sajja of the Hospicio annex building housing the health centre came crumbling down, throwing up questions on the structural stability of the building.

Presently, the UHC is operating from the heritage Hospicio building, but doctors and staff have been anxiously awaiting the return of the operations back to the urban health centre building.

“We had shifted the urban health centre from July 9, 2023 after the façade of the health centre building had collapsed. It’s now exactly eight months since the building had suffered damage, but the repair is still not taking place,” sources said. 

Sources added: “We only pray and hope that the nothing happens to the heritage Hospicio building which is presently housing the urban centre building. For, we will have no place to go to continue our operations.”