A portion of a dilapidated building at Borda in Margao collapsed on Wednesday evening, forcing authorities to evacuate its occupants and residents of neighbouring houses while officials await a structural stability test to determine the building’s future.
The collapsed section was a sunshade, or chajja, near the Government Multipurpose ITI complex. Some of the affected families have taken shelter with relatives. Sub-divisional magistrate Ganesh Barve, who visited the site, said a report on the building’s condition would be submitted to South Goa collector Egna Cleetus for further action.
Barve said the safety of the structure could be determined only after a structural stability test. The test is expected to establish whether the building can remain occupied, requires urgent intervention or must be dealt with through a redevelopment or demolition process.
The incident is the second reported collapse at the building in less than a month. On October 24, part of a balcony collapsed at around 4am, followed by the collapse of another portion later that day. No casualties were reported in either incident, according to the report.
The latest collapse has led to demands for immediate shelter and a rehabilitation arrangement for the evacuated families. BJP state president Damodar Naik said he would seek maximum government assistance for those affected and speak to the chief minister. He said the families would be housed in shelter homes urgently before steps were taken towards rehabilitation.
The incident has also renewed attention on the wider problem of ageing buildings in Margao. Naik said the government should formulate a policy for redeveloping such structures, indicating that the Borda building is not an isolated concern in the city.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai visited the site on Thursday to follow up on the proposed redevelopment. He said he had discussed the matter with the chief town planner and raised options including special residential zone classification, amalgamation of plots and a floor area ratio of 300.
Sardesai said existing occupants should receive new flats in their own names under any redevelopment arrangement. Such an approach, he said, would protect their ownership and provide long-term security. The immediate administrative steps, however, remain linked to the structural stability assessment and the report to the South Goa collector.
Until that assessment is completed, the building’s safety status and the precise rehabilitation process remain undecided. The next formal step is the submission of the stability report to the district administration, alongside efforts to arrange temporary shelter for the evacuated residents.
