Panjim’s Clube Nacional, near the Old Secretariat, is a landmark in more ways than one. Quite apart from the fact it was once— along with Clube Vasco da Gama— the hub of social and cultural life in the capital, it is also a an iconic building, one of the few heritage structures
left, that defined the riverside city. Last Sunday’s roof collapse, however, underscores the bleak future that probably confronts these sagging heritage buildings, given the complex issues that surround them as the architectural face of this city transforms by the day. The club is 250 years old. The building has touched a century. Part of the problem though, is that the club does not own the building, which belongs to the Vaglo family that runs two of the showrooms below. Struggling to come up with the funds to repair the building, members of Clube Nacional are still determined to keep the activities going. Tony Dias, president of the club says despite the setback, club events will go ahead. For now, the club is riding on the hope that the government will somehow come to its rescue. “We can’t have any programmes in the club because of the collapse. But we will go ahead with our events at other locations: Clube Vasco da Gama, Taleigao Community Hall, maybe even the Riviera,” Dias says. For the moment, however, all activity in the club premises is at a halt, as the bar section, over which the roof collapsed, remains closed for business. The stage area will stay open, says Dias.
The collapse also caused sections of the wooden floor to cave into the
shops in the ground floor. The building is in serious need of urgent repair, for
which the club says permission was turned down. “We weren’t even allowed
to put a nail in the wall, the owner would shout at us,” says Dias.
The club pays a monthly rent of just Rs. 530 for the 500 sq mt space it occupies
in the heart of the city, and has no legal contract besides, to give it the
authority to carry out renovations on its own. “We haven’t approached the
court yet, but if we see no other way, that will be our last resort,” Dias says.
With not too many options available, the club’s managing committee during
a meeting with its members on Thursday
decided to seek help from the
government and heritage organizations
to carry out the repairs.
Foreseeing the danger the dilapidated
building posed, the committee in February
this year filed for a maintenance
grant from the Directorate of Art and
Culture for the Rs 3 lakh per annum
given to buildings older than 100 years.
The file however is still being processed
as only one No Objection Certificates
(NOC) from the owners of the building
was obtained.
After the roof collapse several SOSs
have been sent to the government
and heritage conservation groups.
“We have approached the Chief Minister
who has said he will help. We are
currently doing an inventory of everything
that was damaged,” says Dias.
The club has 335 members, and
charges only a onetime nominal fee of
Rs. 1,500. The club recently decided
to stop enrolling more members owing
to the lack of space.
“We realized about 10 years ago
that the building could only hold so
many people, so we decided to stop
taking on more members. Once we
renovate the building we may restart
club memberships,” says Dias.
According to Panjim Mayor Surendra
Furtado, 10 buildings in the city are
on the CCP’s “unsafe buildings” list.
Among them, Popular printing press
(near the Panjim Church), the building
housing Afonso tailors near Progress
High School, the Progress High School
building, Institute of Instruction (Mahatme)
high school, the home of the
Thakurs located behind the electricity
department and the house owned by
Raiturkars on 31st January Road, Corina
bar and restaurant (which caught fire
in February this year), CCP owned
building in the market, National theatre
and the CCP quarters in Altinho.
Though none of these buildings
were served notices to vacate or renovate,
BSNL which occupies the old CCP
office on the Dada Vaidya Road was
served a notice to vacate eight years
ago. Furtado says shop owners in the
dilapidated municipality building have
refused to move out.
He sent a note to commissioner
Sanjit Rodrigues to ask the District
Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)
to intervene in the future course of
action over the 10 unsafe buildings.
Old buildings have to be demolished,
and heritage ones need to be restored,
Furtado says, but points out that the
CCP has no funds to finance repairs
and conservation of heritage structures.
For the moment, Clube Nacionale’s
most pressing problem is to find an alternate
location for the event it had
planned to coincide with the St Xavier
Exposition.
“We’ve planned a grand event for
the many NRIs who will be coming for
the Exposition. There will be a special
Goan dance and food. But with the
current state of affairs we have to look
for another spot to hold the event,”
says Dias dolefully.
