After the failure of ‘Project Arrow’ of the India Posts under the leadership of Sachin Pilot which was inaugurated in 2008, the Margao Post is set to get yet another makeover. The Post Master General of Goa has announced that the Margao and the Panjim Head Post offices will be renovated at a cost of Rs 20 to 30 lakh soon. The Postmaster has set a date and has claimed that they will be taking it up in 2016.
The Post Office of Margao which is housed in a heritage structure in the centre of the town is to be renovated soon. This has been a much awaited need for years now. The Post Master General of Goa has announced that he will be taking up the work within the year during the inauguration of the ATM facility at Margao Post office.
“The Margao post office, being a heritage building may create some hitches in the renovation process but we will work with the local Government to get the renovations done,” Post Master General, Vinod Kumar Verma told Herald.
Presently, the post office at Margao is in need of urgent repairs and maintenance as the interior and the exterior of the office is losing its charm. The post office needs the urgent repair of window panes, doors and wardrobes. The staff toilet inside the post office is also old and needs urgent renovation. In addition to that, the tables and chairs used by the staff are outdated and need to be changed. As the posts plan to get on the Central Banking System, the electrical fixtures and other electrical goods also need to be replaced.
‘Project Arrow’, which was proudly announced and inaugurated by the Central Minister back in the Congress regime has lost its shine in the Margao Post Office. The paint is now old and there are changes which are required to be made right from the door step to the back office where the postmen sit. The flooring which was made of cement was changed on the main counter and operations area of the office. But the flooring in the back office remains the same till date. A lot of scrap chairs and furniture needs to be either disposed of or handed over to the archaeology department for
proper handling.
The Chairperson of the MMC, while giving a conditional nod to the ideas of renovation has said that they will consult the architects who are qualified in heritage structure planning and only after consultation move ahead with the work.
The Post Master General has, meanwhile, ruled out major civil work on the heritage structure and has claimed that minor renovation of the interiors like paint and furniture will be undertaken in this plan.
