Protests over Kala Academy works erupted once again. This time, artistes from across the State came together on Monday demanding a white paper on the expenses incurred over renovation works and also sought the resignation of Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude. The artistes threatened to take to the streets if the structure was not restored to its original state within 15 days.
While artistes took turns pointing at shortcomings of the works and alleged misappropriation of funds, a representative of the Charles Correa Foundation pointed out that drastic changes had been made to the structure taking away the original aesthetics and vibe of the area. The representative stated that the restoration work lacked visual appeal and was of mediocre quality.
Interestingly, the meeting which was an open forum saw Gaude seated among the audience patiently listening to every line that was spoken, but chose not to comment despite him being a direct target of criticism. Gaude, who is an artiste himself, by attending the meeting sent out a message that he was ready to listen, and yes he did. But why has there been a silence or a pause? On the flip side, why is PWD also not held responsible?
It is a foregone conclusion that the renovation work has gone bad, and whether one calls it overhead clogging of drainage resulting in leakages or something else, the fact of the matter is that there is something seriously wrong. A cross-section of artistes coming together to take up the issue shows that things are indeed not up to the mark. Lest we forget, Gaude had said that the sound system installed is of professional standard and needs to be tuned to the requirements of artistes. The question is, why has that not happened?
Have Gaude’s assurances of the past come to haunt him now? Way back in 2021, the art and culture minister had clarified that the special agency involved in the work would carry out maintenance of the renovated premises for five years and that there is a 25-year guarantee on the repairs. That means that the contractor is liable to take care of any problems that arise in the next two-and-a-half decades. The irony is that the State government is now pumping in another Rs 10.56 crore to repair the renovated structure, and what is more surprising is that this job has also been awarded to the same contractor.
The agony of artistes is understandable, but the silence of Gaude and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the PWD portfolio, is baffling. We recall when Sawant issued directions to the PWD Chief Engineer to ensure that all repair work at Kala Academy is to be done on priority so that there are no leakages. Leakages happened even when the State witnessed the first showers in May.
By ordering an audit of the renovation work and constituting a three-member technical committee to examine the alleged “corruption”, “irregularities” and “illegalities” the government cannot assume that it has done its job. The need of the hour is to hear out the artistes and lay out an action plan. There has to be a white paper released on the expenses incurred on the renovation because accountability in public projects is a must.
The assurances of quality work and world-class infrastructure appear hollow given the state of affairs of Kala Academy. It’s time Gaude and Sawant view the entire Kala Academy renovation work through the lens of these artistes who are flag bearers of our art and culture.
