Team Herald
MARGAO: Taking serious note of the collapse of a concrete slab in one of the oldest private buildings in Margao last week, the Municipal Council has initiated the exercise to prepare a fresh list of unsafe buildings in its jurisdiction.
A similar exercise had been carried out by the MMC a decade ago, when 22 buildings were declared unsafe. However, no steps were taken then, to ensure the safety of the people residing and working in the buildings. Perhaps the only thing that materialised were conflicts between the MMC and the building owners, most of whom failed to submit stability reports when asked.
In the wake of the recent incident that left a young woman injured and several vehicles damaged, Manuel Barreto, Chief Officer of the MMC told Herald that
officials have been instructed to prepare a list of unsafe buildings in Margao and Fatorda.
“After preparing the list, a study will be done and we will decide the next course of action. We have also issued a show cause notice to the owner of the private building, where the slab recently collapsed. The civic body has asked the owner to submit a stability report,” said the Chief Officer.
There are several buildings which were not listed but collapsed over the past ten years.
Rohan Raikar, a citizen of Margao told Herald that the civic body needs to take this issue seriously so that the lives of the people are not put at risk.
“We have noticed several unsafe buildings across the town, including a few government-owned ones. The civic body needs to act strictly, and the concerned owners of the buildings should be taken to task. The MMC needs to demolish these dilapidated buildings legally,” he demanded.
