Patiala authorities say work estimates sent to govt for approvalPublic buildings in bad shape
Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 10
In the wake of the building collapse in Mohali in which one person was killed and two injured, the safety of buildings has come into focus. Some old public buildings in Patiala are in bad shape and in need of repairs. Some of these buildings currently house offices of senior government officials while others have private institutes for students.
The public buildings being run under such conditions include the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patiala, the municipal library at Khaddar Bhandar, Beant Singh Complex at Choti Baradari, the office of the district consumer forum. Besides, the building of Government Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in the city has been lying defunct and in a dilapidated condition for long.
Among these buildings, the Public Works Department (PWD) has assessed the work needed to be done at the IGP’s office and has sent proposals to the state government for approval. An official said the roof of the building was in bad shape and needed repairs. “The estimates were prepared a few months ago and sent to the state government. We will begin the next process as soon as we get the approval,” PWD XEN Sohan Lal Garg said.
The building of the district consumer forum in the city is also worn out where trees have grown through the walls while rainwater seeps inside the premises. Another building in dire need of repairs is the Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, which has been there in the city since 1860. Doors have come off the hinges and bricks and mortar continue to fall to the ground. A government school also functions adjacent to the dilapidated structure. The building comes under the ambit of the PWD. Officials said they were preparing estimates of works to be done at various educational institutes, which will be sent to the state government. “The mahavidyalaya building will also be added to the list of proposals to be sent to the government,” they said.
The Municipal Corporation, Patiala, which had decided to declare the building of the municipal library near Qila Mubarak unsafe after an assessment, has not compiled a report in nearly five months since October. MC XEN Sham Lal Gupta said, “A committee was formed to assess the building and its structure and compile a report.”
