VASCO: The officials of Public Works Department (PWD), Buildings section, Vasco on Monday rushed to Sada Sub jail to conduct an overall inspection of the Sada Sub jail building premises in Mormugao. The PWD officials have opined that the building housing inmates is reportedly safe and only the roof slab over cell number 6 to cell number 10, located on the first floor of the building needs to be repaired on a war-footing.
The inspection was held after cantilever portion of the building premises collapsed on Sunday evening due to which the inmates lodged in all five cells on top floor of the building had to be evacuated and they were accommodated in another cell located on the ground floor.
“I along with my staff have inspected the jail building and we have found that the entire building is reportedly safe and only the cantilever portion of roof slab needs repairs. We have decided to take up repairs on a priority for which we would require at least 15 to 20 days however the only issue is rains and if we get some dry spell then we would complete the same even before” said Assistant Engineer of PWD Building Section A D Nagarchi.
Commenting on the allegations that the PWD officials neglected to take up repairs despite several reminders by the jail authorities, Nagarchi said that “It is incorrect to state that we have neglected in taking up repairs, as very recently our engineers from south Goa had conducted inspection of the building and had reported that the building has developed some cracks for which we were in the process of preparing estimates. Now we have decided to replace the full cantilever portion of the roof slab besides sealing of cracks” he said.
Meanwhile, after cantilever portion collapsed, the Jail authorities had to struggle to temporarily accommodate the inmates. The jail presently has about 150-odd male and about 31- odd female inmates and thus as all the cells on the first floor have to be kept vacant till repairs works are done, the IG Prison finally issued orders to temporarily shift about 30 inmates to a vacant block in Colvale central jail. The inmates were finally shifted to Colvale Jail in the evening under heavy posse of police personnel.
