Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Engineering College (GEC), Farmagudi, will carry out fitness tests on four buildings in Panjim to assess their structural stability, while the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has instructed the owners of eight other buildings to demolish them, citing their dilapidated condition and potential risk of collapse.
According to sources, the CCP has already paid the necessary fee to GEC for the tests, and the relevant files are currently being processed.
A senior CCP official, speaking to O Heraldo, confirmed, “The required fee has been paid, and the file is in progress. The work was delayed due to the festive season. Inspections have already been carried out, and now GEC will conduct a detailed study to assess the stability of these buildings. Based on this study, a decision will be made on whether the buildings are safe or need to be demolished.”
The buildings scheduled for testing include the Susheela Building and another structure at Altinho. The remaining buildings have already been deemed unsafe, and their owners have been instructed to demolish them at their own expense. If the owners fail to comply, the CCP will issue show-cause notices and take further action.
The initiative follows the partial collapse of an unoccupied building in St Inez on August 17, due to heavy rainfall. Subsequently, the CCP identified 12 buildings in the capital city that are in a dangerous, dilapidated state. The Corporation formally requested the GEC to conduct a structural stability study on these buildings.
In a letter to the GEC, the CCP stated, “The Corporation has identified 12 structures that appear to be in a dilapidated and dangerous condition. We request your department to inspect these buildings and submit stability reports at the earliest.”
The 12 identified buildings are located in various parts of the city: three in Ribandar, one in Altinho, one in St Inez, and seven in Panjim. Of these, one is government-owned, while the rest are privately owned properties.