A heritage municipal building in Mapusa, which was handed over to a school for sometime, has missed multiple deadlines ever since the building was being spruced up to house the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) administrative offices.
With restoration work on the heritage municipal building yet to be completed, the MMC has been left waiting and unable to shift to the new premises. As a result, MMC has repeatedly postponed dates to inaugurate the building.
The work order to renovate the heritage building was issued to the contractor on June 18, 2013 and project was expected to have been completed by April 25, 2014.
However, when work began on June 25, 2013, there was a major flaw in the renovation work. The estimates prepared by the consultant had not included electrical works and hence, renovation work was delayed.
Estimates for the electrical works were sent to the MMC only on June 23, 2014. The MMC initially had plans to inaugurate the heritage building on August 15, 2014, but the incomplete work forced the MMC to shift the inauguration to Dussehra in October 2014.
Unable to complete the renovation work, the contractor then requested for a six-month extension. With renovation work still pending, Deputy Chief Minister and Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza then indicated his desire to inaugurate the heritage building on Liberation Day, December 19, 2014.
Accordingly, the MMC dashed off a letter to the contractor on October 28, 2014, directing him to expedite renovation work.
When the contractor failed to meet this new deadline, MMC was forced to shift plans to inaugurate the building in the third week of March this year.
But with the work yet to be completed, there is little hope that the heritage building will be ready by the month end. The MMC is now hopeful that the inauguration could take place by August 15.
A recent visit to the site revealed that carpentry, electrical, plumbing and painting work was in progress. But MMC officials are hopeful that the contractor will complete the entire work by March 31.
“Renovation work is nearly complete and the site development work is in progress. The site development will enhance the beauty of the heritage building and will also generate additional parking space. The entire work is expected to be completed by March 31,” said MMC Municipal Engineer Hussain Muzawar.
However, an official at the site was doubtful that the project could be completed within this new deadline.
“A lot of work is still pending and it is impossible to complete the work by March 31. The development work in progress in front and behind the building will take over a week.”
“Besides, the internal electricals, plumbing and painting work have not been completed so far. I feel it would take at least a month to complete the entire project and hand it over to the MMC,” the official added.
