MARGAO: After weeks of delays amidst growing public safety concerns, authorities have begun the long-awaited structural assessment of 22 unsafe buildings in Margao. Acting on the directive of South Goa collector Egna Cleetus, a team from Goa College of Engineering (GEC) conducted inspections of four buildings this week.
This action follows nearly a month after Cleetus issued urgent orders for immediate measures after several building collapses were reported in Margao. Specifically, the collector instructed the public works department (PWD) to secure structural stability assessments from GEC within a week, as the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) cited budgetary constraints as an obstacle to these vital evaluations.
Dipak Faldessai, the municipal engineer for MMC, has confirmed the progress. “We have shown the GEC team all the building sites. Once they carry out the structural stability tests, their report will be submitted to the collector,” he stated. The GEC’s evaluation will encompass all 22 unsafe buildings currently identified by the MMC. The resulting report is anticipated to inform the collector’s decisions regarding these structures, identifying which buildings necessitate prompt demolition and which may be preserved through repairs.
Given the recent series of building collapses in Margao—three incidents within a month, including parapet failures at Antao Apartments near Cine Lata, another collapse behind Pimplaped, and a gallery collapse in a deteriorating building in the Cine Lata vicinity—this evaluation is crucial. These events resulted in immediate demolition orders for four dilapidated structures, including Indira Apartments and the Cabecca de Calconde building.
Unfortunately, the evaluation process has faced administrative challenges. Moreover, despite the collector’s directive on May 27 to update the list of unsafe buildings promptly, MMC has yet to meet this requirement. Sources within the MMC revealed that their current 22 unsafe buildings list is outdated, compiled several years prior, despite notifying 56 building owners for necessary structural repairs in recent years.
