Margao: Nine years after construction began, the long-delayed Quepem police station building is nearing completion. A reply to a legislative assembly question (LAQ) of MLA Altone D’Costa revealed that while the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) structure is complete, finishing work is pending due to a lack of expenditure approval, and no work order has yet been issued to the contractor.The project has a chequered history. It was first approved in Nov 2016, and an expenditure sanction was granted in Jan 2020 at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore, with Shivam Infratech bagging the contract. Work commenced in Feb 2020, against a deadline of Feb 2021. Although the main RCC structure and septic tanks were completed, funds ran out before the finishing work. The agreement was terminated after more than Rs 4 crore was spent between 2020-21 and 2024-25.In an LAQ reply, PWD minister Digambar Kamat said a cost blowout occurred because the foundation design changed after soil tests by a PWD-appointed consultant. The consultant recommended switching from an isolated foundation to a raft foundation, which increased concrete, steel, and excavation requirements, thereby exhausting funds before completion.A fresh estimate of Rs 5.2 crore has been prepared for the final finishing works, utility services, compound wall construction and landscaping. The work has been tendered and awarded again to Shivam Infratech for over Rs 4 crore, but the expenditure sanction is pending.The new building will house the office of the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), with one floor for the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), along with a library, canteen, conference hall, and surveillance room.The LAQ reply does not mention any action initiated against officials or agencies for the delay, nor does it provide a revised completion date.
