MAPUSA: Aldona Congress MLA Adv. Carlos Alvares Ferreira slammed the Goa government after the false ceiling at the Peddem Indoor Stadium gave way and came crashing down onto the concourse.
Speaking to reporters after a late evening inspection, Adv. Ferreira demanded accountability from the government for the incident.
“I demand that there be an inquiry into this and that it be restored. Inquiry is one part of it — they can always take stock, prepare the estimates, and redo the entire thing. If it is the contractor’s fault, it should be done at the contractor’s cost, and the money recovered. If it is not the contractor’s fault, then find out who is responsible and where the money has gone,” Adv. Carlos said.
“We need accountability. This is people’s money. Children come here, sports enthusiasts and parents come here. Imagine if this had happened when someone was present and got injured. You cannot wake up only after an accident. Regular inspections must be done,” he added.
A large portion of the false ceiling, which was part of the renovations carried out during the National Games, collapsed, leaving debris scattered across the floor.
“I am shocked to witness the level of damage here. It was renovated for the National Games, which means it was expected to be of good quality, with significant money spent on it,” the Aldona MLA, in whose constituency this part of Mapusa falls, said.
“I generally do not oppose expenditure, because you have to spend well to get a good result. However, when money is spent and the structure collapses so soon, it only shows that money was siphoned off, commissions were taken, and the poor quality of work is visible for all to see,” he said.
He called on the new Director of Sports, Ajay Gaude, to inspect the state of the stadium and “fix accountability at the earliest.”
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