The elevator at the Old Collectorate building in Margao has remained non-functional for several days, creating severe inconvenience for citizens and government employees who depend on the facility.
The building houses several key offices, including the South Goa Zilla Panchayat, Social Welfare Department, Tribal Welfare Department, and District Agriculture Office. On any given day, hundreds of people visit these departments to access essential public services.
Among those most affected are senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant staff members who have been forced to climb up to four floors by staircase.
“This is a government building that caters to hundreds of people daily. It’s shocking that an essential facility like an elevator has been out of service for so long. How are elderly people and pregnant women expected to climb multiple floors?” said Milagres Fernandes, a local resident who recently visited the Social Welfare Office.
Visitors and staff have urged authorities to repair the elevator on priority, highlighting that the prolonged outage amounts to denial of basic accessibility and dignity.
Officials have yet to issue a statement clarifying when the elevator will be restored to working order.