Prevent imminent collapse of Asia’s oldest pharma college building, 1.4k alumni tell CM

Panaji: Over 1,400 students and alumni of the Goa College of Pharmacy have petitioned chief minister Pramod Sawant to take up urgent repairs of the college structure, stating that it poses a serious safety threat to more than 600 students, faculty, and other building users.

They said that it is the oldest pharmacy college in Asia, started way back in 1842, and that leakages in the building need to be plugged immediately to prevent an imminent collapse of the structure.The petition states that although govt has planned to construct a new building for the college, the process is likely to take two to three years. They said that during this period, the state should take up repairs of the present building, for the safety of its users.“We are extremely pained by the present plight of the college’s infrastructure. The very fact that a college of such repute has endured such deterioration over the past so many years does not reflect well on its administration. The authorities have known about the poor infrastructure for the past so many years, and yet, timely repairs and maintenance have not happened, leading to precarious situations,” the petition states.

Alumnus Raj Vaidya said that urgent steps are required to stop the leakages, and also repair works to prevent the buildings from crumbling further and to save them from collapse.The bustling pharma industry is a driver for the economy in Goa, supported by Goa College of Pharmacy for many years, he said.“It has produced a string of brilliant pharmacists for almost two centuries, and they are spread all over the globe. Unfortunately, this reputed institution is currently in a dilapidated condition due to the sheer lack of attention from the authorities over the years,” he said.There does not seem to be seriousness and urgency in repairing and maintaining the buildings, the petition states. “There is a serious concern and deep disappointment regarding the appalling state of infrastructure at the Goa College of Pharmacy, Panaji — an institution that has long stood as a pillar of pharmaceutical education in the state.”