MARGAO: The 112-year-old Margao Municipal Council building is presently dying a slow death due to lack of attention by the local administration housed in it.
The MMC building, which is the most exquisite testimony to the architecture of Portuguese era of Goa, is presently in need of urgent attention. The heritage building which is dying a slow death is evident by the fact that several plants have grown on it and to add to it, water continuous flows on two pillars of the building.
The building, which is one of the oldest of Margao town, has seen through many councils.
The local administration has failed to pay heed to the degrading condition of the building, which was painted during its centenary celebration in 2005. However, other than this nothing has been done by the MMC to maintain the building.
According to MMC sources, the stop valve of the overhead tank of the building has been non-functional for months and due to this water starts to overflow from the tank. The sorry state of affairs is also exposed by the plants which have grown on the walls of the heritage structure.
Historian Prajal Sakhardande has expressed surprise over the ignorance of the local administration and said, “Once the roots of the vegetation percolate into the structure there will be no way anyone could save the century-old structure. The old municipal building has been lost due to the same attitude and now the MMC building is facing the same”.
“The heritage conservation committee of the Government of Goa has to immediately look into the matter now or it will be too late,” Sakhardande added.
When contacted, MMC Chief Officer Y B Tawde said, “It is indeed a bad situation and I have asked my staff to start the repairs and the same will start from Monday”.
Several Madgaonkars have expressed surprise over the lacklustre attitude of the MMC.
