PHONEY FLOOR

Herald’s claim that its news channel will set the news scene in Goa ‘ablaze’ is certainly well grounded. The news channel will operate from the top two illegally built floors of the newspaper’s building on Rua de Ourem road.

From what we hear, for the last several years, the Herald owners have been trying to get a clearance from the Fire Department for these two hastily constructed floors, but in vain. Attempts made in the recent past have also come to naught following the Fire Department’s claims that the floors are not safe for habitation. But damn the law, the control room of the proposed news channel has been set up precisely in these illegal and unsafe premises.

But guess that’s no big deal in an organisation, where the owner himself mauls chunks of mangrove and landfills the area for commercial use.

To give you guys a small backgrounder, the Herald building is that large grey breast -- sans shape and form and – that stands out as remarkably in mediocrity as honourable Shantaram Naik’s press note. Considering the beautiful and tastefully done abodes in the Rua de Ourem – Mala – Fontainhas region, it’s a very architecturally insulting piece of work.

The groundfloor has two doorways inviting visitors within. One gilt-edged and classy, the other, coarse. The former obviously makes way for money (advertising section), and the other gobbles up journos.

Above this is a five foot tall mezzanine floor, which would give Liliputians a complex. The accounts and the one woman HR force slog it out here.

The floor above this mezzanine section, is the newly done up editorial section, where all the journalists, plagiarists, editors, sub-editors, reporters and pasters work from. Its the two floors above the editorial section, which are in question.