Most public commercial buildings in Margao are poorly maintained, dirty and downright dangerous. Recently, I visited a commercial building housing many doctors’ clinics which is visited by hundreds of people and was appalled to see its condition.
Greeted first by a sleeping stray dog on the stairs, I moved on to exposed fuse boxes, haphazardly wound cables, damaged electrical conduits, absence of fire extinguishers, rusted railings, dirty walls, the stink of urine and garbage piled on the rooftop of lower floors amongst other things. The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has recently increased civic taxes but not a rupee seems to be spent towards the upkeep or cleanliness of public structures, neither do the owners/tenants of these buildings care. The aam janta visiting these establishments place themselves at great risk to life and limb.
The MMC should carry out a safety audit of all public buildings in Margao and set things right before a major mishap occurs.
