Daijiworld Media Network - Margao

Margao, Dec 29: The long-delayed demolition of the unsafe Cabeça de Calcondem building in the heart of the commercial capital has finally entered its last stage, nearly seven years after the Goa Engineering College declared the structure unfit for occupation.

The demolition comes two years after the then South Goa District Collector, Asvin Chandru, IAS, directed the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) in November 2023 to raze the building. However, prolonged inaction by both the MMC and the South Goa demolition squad meant that the process gained momentum only after Chandru’s successor, Egna Cleetus, IAS, instructed the Public Works Department to carry out the demolition and recover the cost from the owners and occupants.

In a turn of events, the occupants themselves undertook the demolition by engaging a private contractor at an estimated cost of around Rs 7 lakh, after the PWD floated a tender proposing to demolish the structure for Rs 26 lakh. The contractor is expected to clear the debris within the next few days.

The demolition has, however, raised pressing questions for the District Disaster Management Authority, the MMC and other concerned agencies. With several dilapidated buildings dotting the city, concerns are mounting over their structural safety and suitability for human occupation, and over who bears responsibility for initiating repairs, rehabilitation or demolition in the interest of public safety.

These issues are expected to haunt the authorities, especially as the process set in motion after the partial collapse of two buildings in Margao last May appears to have stalled. At the time, following incidents near Pimpalkatta and on Cine Lata Road, authorities had discussed strong measures, including evacuation of occupants, closure of commercial establishments and directions to owners to submit structural stability reports.

As the dust settles at Cabeça de Calcondem, the focus now shifts to whether similar urgency will be shown in addressing other unsafe structures, or whether action will come only after another disaster puts lives at risk.