A little over a decade ago, the Ravindra bhavan, Margao had played host to the IFFI 2011, courtesy then Congress Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who got the inaugural ceremony in his hometown Margao.
In fact, no stone was left unturned to deck up the Ravindra Bhavan to host the international film festival, with the government spending crores of rupees to tone up the infrastructure to accord a red carpet welcome to the dignitaries attending the inaugural ceremony.
An ambitious state-of-the-art Audio Studio project which was proposed at the Ravindra bhavan, Margao around the same time at a cost of Rs 61 lakh seemed to have been long forgotten. And, so is the Vigilance probe ordered into the project exactly a decade ago, so it seems.
In fact, not only work on the ambitious project aimed at providing state-of-the-art audio studio facilities right in Goa for local artists, stands grounded, but the fate of the Vigilance probe into the project remains unknown.
Take note, the grounded audio studio project could not see light of the day after the project had come under the Vigilance scanner. The very fate of the Vigilance probe now remains unknown, with a former Vigilance Director could not even remember whether the decade-old probe was taken to the logical conclusion or the file is forgotten in the dusty records of the investigating agency.
The Audio Studio project was taken up at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao when the cultural institution was headed by former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. If sources are to be believed the project was to be executed and implemented with funds amounting to Rs 30 lakhs from a public sector oil company, and the balance funds to be provided by the government.
After the change in guard in 2012 when former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar returned to the saddle that the project came under the Vigilance scanner after the new dispensation suspected hanky panky in the execution of the works.
In fact, then Ravindra Bhavan Chairman, Damu Naik had told the media that work on the project will not commence till the Vigilance probe gives its findings, including the expenses incurred on the probe and he percentage of work completed.
The Goan understands that the former Chief Minister had called for the Audio Studio project file and handed over to the Vigilance for a probe following media reports about certain discrepancies in the project.
A former Vigilance Chief had informed The Goan that the file had been assigned to the technical wing of the Vigilance department.
The ex-Vigilance Director, when contacted to shed light on the fate of the vigilance inquiry into the Audio Studio project, he said he cannot exactly remember the status of the probe, saying he is no more presiding over the Vigilance department.
Ravindra Bhavan Member Secretary Agnelo Fernandes said he has no idea about the Audio studio project.
“Since I took over the reigns of the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao around a year ago, no correspondence has come to me on the project. I have no idea about the status of the project or the so called Vigilance probe into the project”, Agnelo asserted.
