VASCO: The open political war between two BJP MLAs of Mormugao taluka, Minister Milind Naik and Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, sees no signs of ebbing. Some councillors of the MMC, apparently backers of Mormugao MLA and Minister Milind Naik, raised questions on why the Vasco MLA kept silent all this while and chose to raise allegations of purported corruption only now.
Commenting on charges levelled against Milind Naik over the restoration of the heritage Vasco municipality building, councilor Girish Borkar said that “I want to remind local MLA ( Carlos) that when the file related to the restoration of municipality building was put up at that time the council’s chairperson and the council was his. When you were expecting that such errors are going to happen in the near future, why didn’t you raise an objection to this work at that particular time?
Reacting to this, MLA Carlos Almeida told Herald that the moment he saw metal roofing work over the 450 years old heritage structure, he immediately decided to raise alarm as the same was an ugly affair. “The work for the restoration of municipal building was given to Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA). However they are not restoring the building so I raised an alarm. Today even others including heritage lovers have also endorsed my claims. I named the minister because I’m fearless. The department concerned (GSUDA) carrying out work is under his ministry,” said Almeida.
City Councillor Shami Salkar, obviously playing Milind Naik’s tune had this to say “During the time of preparation of tender for the restoration of this heritage municipal building, the required specification for the restoration work of this heritage building should have been mentioned. If this thing would have been done in the past then this problem would not have happened today.”
However, Almeida is clearly not in the mood to let go “I am not a technical person. Nor I am playing any political game here. But things were not going on as per the heritage norms and hence I now demand from the government that they should restore the building but certainly not the way it is going on currently. Even I am live in an 80-year Portuguese design house which will be restored soon but it will never be done in the way they have been doing with Municipality building,” he added.
Commenting about the missing wooden planks from the roof of the building, Almeida said that the wood and tiles which have been replaced with metal roofing and steel have their own heritage value besides. “You won’t get such type of wood and such tiles now. I don’t know where the wood and tiles have gone or who took them.
According to Almeida, there is another major factor about corrosion which they should have taken into account. The building is located close to the sea and the chances of corrosion are high. Urban Development Minister Milind Naik should have taken note of this. Also, the wood has been for so many years but this steel won’t remain for so long. Today we have the technology by which wood can be treated like the way they have done in Old Goa Church, or Margao or even Mapusa Municipal Council Building, same way Vasco building should have been done,” he said.
The Vasco MLA demanded an inquiry on missing wood and tiles besides restoration of the Municipal building as per heritage norms
