Panaji corp awaits structural stability reports for old buildings from GEC

Panaji: Despite being aware of the rickety condition of several old structures in the state capital, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) is unable to take the next step as it still awaits the structural stability reports for most of the buildings.

Under the Disaster Management Act, CCP has been conducting routine inspections of old, dilapidated and dangerous structures in the city. With the monsoons approaching, authorities are reviewing the integrity of the structures to avoid injuries.

Speaking to TOI, Panaji mayor Rohit Monserrate said that CCP engineers are following up with Goa Engineering College (GEC), to identify which dilapidated structures are the most precarious.

“I have asked the commissioner to follow up on the dilapidated buildings and see if any more have to be demolished,” said Monserrate. “Some buildings have already collapsed. Each of the buildings has a different issue. Some of their reports are still pending.”

In mid-April, CCP went ahead and demolished a three-storey commercial building that GEC deemed to be structurally unsafe, along with 29 temporary shops in the vicinity.

Two years earlier, an abandoned building at St Inez collapsed during the monsoons, prompting the CCP and the state authorities to step in and demolish it. CCP has identified 12 buildings in the capital that are in a dangerous condition and wrote to GEC to carry out the structural stability studies.

“The corporation desires to know the structural stability of the buildings and you are requested to depute your representative to carry out necessary inspections and submit stability reports at the earliest,” the CCP said in a written letter to GEC.

In 2021, CCP issued notices to the owners of 18 abandoned buildings in Panaji, but the owners did not respond to the notices nor make attempts to evacuate tenants from the premises. “If the reports say that the building has to be demolished, then we will take action. We are still waiting for the GEC stability reports. We have also written to the owners of the building asking them to take steps,” said Monserrate.
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