Ponda: Despite declaring the Ponda fish market building as unfit for use, the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has failed to raze down the dilapidated building, which poses a risk to the public. The council is awaiting approval from the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) for the demolition of the building.PMC chairperson Veerendra Dhavalikar said the GSUDA has to decide on the demolition of the building. The contractor will demolish it once the agency allows it, Dhavalikar told TOI.The council conducted a stability study and found that the building is leaning toward the adjoining nullah and could collapse at any time. The building, constructed in 1984, is over 40 years old.PMC relocated the fish vendors to a new location in May of last year, based on the report and the serious risks identified within it.The municipality had issued eviction notices to cloth merchants on the upper floor of the building to vacate within 72 hours in Aug last year. For a long time, their delay in vacating was cited as the reason for the delayed demolition.The cloth merchants have shifted to the new premises, and the building has been lying unused for the last several months, posing a threat to the public visiting the adjacent building.Visitors demand that PMC follow up on the matter with GSUDA and get the building demolished soon.
