E Arun & Tarun Kartick
Port Blair, Aug 18: Please do not call it as an eye-sore, the office building of the Assistant Engineers, Public Health Engineering Division, APWD, Port Blair situated in Supply Line area, is actually the symbol of Andaman PWD’s Professionalism and efficiency.
This office operates from a wooden building with loose planks acting as walls and the building seems to be standing by the mercy of God. Nobody in APWD knows when it was the last time the building was painted.
According to staffs working in the office, during rainy days it pours inside. The office building is in highly depilated state and poses a threat to the lives of the staffs as well as General Public.
By looking at the building any layman will say that the building will collapse anytime and for this no certificate is required from any engineer. The building is already tilting towards left. Is this the level of efficiency and professionalism of APWD?
APWD is the nodal agency for construction of Govt. Buildings and construction of various facilities of Public Service. APWD has constructed hundreds of buildings, roads etc in very efficient manner in these Islands but the engineers who work day and night for providing better infrastructure to the public are forced to work in a dilapidated office which can cause serious threats to their life in case of an natural calamity like earthquake, heavy rainfall etc.
Andaman Sheekha contacted the Chief Engineer APWD, Mr. P.K Singh to know why the office building is not demolished, repaired or renovated. The first initial reply of the CE was shocking “I don’t think that the building is in that bad shape.”
However, when Andaman Sheekha explained about the condition of the building, the Chief Engineer said that he will look into the matter and will take suitable action. He added that if the building is repairable then he will repair it and if it he will take necessary action.
However, the million dollar question remain is when the APWD will initiate action to repair or demolish the dilapidated building? Is APWD waiting for a major disaster before taking any action for the safety of the staffs?
Wooden buildings of Islands are beautiful and Nostalgic! repair it. Let not the memory of the Islands fade.
The award for Best Maintained Office Building must go to Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Balir. Really ‘Heaven on Earth’.