MARGAO
Staging tiatrs and cultural programmes at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao will take a big hit with the Member Secretary suspending all the bookings in the main auditorium till further orders due to the technical fault of the centralized air-conditioning system.
While Member Secretary Agnelo Fernandes has conveyed the decision to those who booked the main auditorium to stage a tiatr, fears have been raised that the situation may persist for months if no urgent solution is found.
Since the suspension is expected to hit tiatrs the most, the Member Secretary has now called for a meeting with the directors and producers of tiatrs to discuss the issue.
A notice by the Ravindra Bhavan member Secretary states: “Due to technical faults/failures of centralized AC, all the bookings for the programmes in the main auditorium of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao from August 24 onwards have been suspended till further orders.”
The notice added: “Inconvenience caused is highly regrettable. We apologize for the inconvenience which has caused to all our clients/stakeholders and audience.”
When contacted, the Member Secretary told The Goan that the central AC in the main auditorium has been giving some problems since August 19. “I have already drawn the attention of the PWD, Div XXII about the situation as a result of which all the pre-scheduled programmes have been cancelled,” he said.
Agnelo added that his office has requested the PWD to expedite the process of executing the work on priority. “Since the maintenance of the Ravindra Bhavan is being looked after by the PWD, they need to repair the AC unit,” he said, adding that events in the conference hall and other venues, however, will continue.
To a question, Agnelo said he had no option but to shut the main auditorium since there’s every possibility of the audience causing damage to the auditorium if they undergo any inconvenience watching a tiatr or cultural event sans air-conditioning.
Saying that he has convened a meeting with the tiatr directors and producers on Thursday, Agnelo said he would discuss the possibility of staging the shows with stand fans.
The issue has brought to the fore the question that the Ravindra Bhavan has been craving attention for over half a decade. When The Goan had drawn the attention of Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude to the pending issues, he said the PWD is preparing a comprehensive estimate to take up the repair and maintenance of all the Ravindra Bhavans.
