After slab collapse, staffers of govt complex in Pernem want offices shifted

Mapusa: A day after a portion of a concrete slab collapsed at the women and child development office located in govt office complex in Pernem, the staff working in the complex said that they want their offices to be shifted without any delay.The complex houses mamlatdar’s office, civil registrar, departments of town and country planning, and labour. A senior clerk, Sujay Gawade, was injured on Monday afternoon when a portion of the false ceiling came crashing down.An official said a systemic failure and a history of ignored warnings have turned the 36-year-old building into a death trap for staffers as well as the public visiting those offices.The foundation stone for the structure, the official said, was laid in the 1990 but was not completed in time, the officials said. For the prolonged period, he said, it was left without a roof.At least four times between 2022 and 2023, the PWD was informed about the structural damages and that the complex needs repair. The proposal for repairing the complex was ready in 2024 with an estimate of Rs 24 lakh but the PWD is still sitting on it, the officer allged.“I have submitted the report. The work for repairs has been tendered,” said Siddesh Humraskar, junior engineer, PWD.A staffer who works in one of the departments in the complex said, “It’s not the question of one office but the entire wing on the side of the complex is sinking,” he said.After inspecting the complex on Tuesday, deputy collector Shivprasad Naik confirmed that the complex has been “critically weak”.“Given the volume of essential records housed here, evacuation will be ordered in a phased manner,” Naik said.While there have been discussions in the past too to shift the offices, the proposal has never been acted upon.