MARGAO: Located on Abade Faria Road, the Portuguese-era “Caro House”, which is in a precarious condition, is craving for attention and may collapse any moment.
The residents of Comba, Margao have demanded that the concerned authorities demolish to century-old building immediately to prevent any untoward incident as it may collapse any moment. On the other hand, heritage lovers have called for protecting the structure as they feel that razing it will be like erasing history.
It is pertinent to note that there are nearly 19 unsafe buildings in Margao identified by the municipality.
Caro House has been “abandoned” and lies in a pathetic condition. Locals said there is no caretaker as all the family members are abroad and the building has turned dangerous.
Reportedly, there are several other owners of the unsafe buildings in Margao who are least bothered to reply to the notices served by the Margao municipality. Many are still not ready to accept that their buildings are unsafe.
MMC chairperson Lyndon Pereira said, “The civic body cannot demolish the building directly and has to inform the concerned authorities. It has been brought to my notice that no one resides in the house but it is dangerous to those residing in the locality. I would suggest the affected residents to inform the district collector on this dilapidated structure, as it is a private house and there is nobody here.”
However, heritage lovers have called for protecting the Portuguese-era building. “It is a heritage structure and the concerned authorities should intervene and protect it. Demolition of the structure will be like erasing history. The structure can be a perfect subject for the research work”, said Prakash Naik, a heritage lover from Margao.
He opined that the safety of the people residing nearby Caro House be taken into consideration.
