Roque Dias
Margao
Nearly a decade after promises, the government has finally issued a tender notice for urgent maintenance and restoration of the dilapidated heritage Administracao building (comunidade) in Margao. However, various comunidade authorities in South Goa said the government must first assure them that ownership rights will not be diluted under the pretext of repairs.
“We had formally communicated our position to the government through the district collector a year ago—in August 2024—indicating in writing that the comunidade authorities were prepared to finance the repairs. We have received no response. We are willing to deposit the funds with the PWD, based on the estimated cost of the repairs,” said Advocate Savio Corriea, general secretary of the South Goa Comunidade Forum and president of Margao, Aquem, Davorlim, and Dicarpale comunidades. Attorney of the Nagoa Comunidade, Joao Philip Pereira, said that four years ago a specialised committee was formed to begin repairs.
“It was initially resolved to undertake the works in phases without government involvement, and thus a survey of the building was conducted to assess its stability. However, the process has since then stopped,” he said. Another stakeholder said that the heritage building is characterised by Portuguese architectural designs.
“We had previously urged the PWD to ensure that the aesthetic integrity is preserved during the repairs. The government had made attempts earlier by initiating a tender process, but there were no bidders,” said the stakeholder.
A source said that while comunidades operate as separate entities, their resolutions are routed through the administrator to the
district collector, who communicates them to the government.
The Executive Engineer of the PWD (Buildings) in Fatorda has now invited online tenders for maintenance and restoration.
The project is estimated at Rs 2.11 crore with an earnest money deposit of Rs 4.22 lakh. Class I-B contractors and above may apply, with a 300-day completion period.
Tender submissions close on September 22, with opening of bids on September 24.
