MARGAO
Damu Naik has returned as the Chairman of the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, after a gap of over three years, but the same old problems continue to plague the cultural institution for want of government support and assistance.
Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, which had played host to the inaugural ceremony of IFFI 2011 just around a decade ago “ is indeed craving for government attention.
If Damu Naik had handed over the baton to his successor around 2017 with a host of issues, including putting to use the state-of-the-art audio studio and the crumbling infrastructure, he may soon realize that most of the issues are still awaiting a solution.
Director of Art and Culture, Sagun Velip, says the government did take up work on the main auditorium to plug the water seepage and to ensure that the roofing does not pose any risk and danger to the audience inside. Velip, however, says that many things are yet to fall in place, including minor infrastructure.
A visit to the Ravindra Bhavan building has revealed the same old story “ cracks in the walls, the rooms earmarked for the audio studio remaining shut, inter-locking pavers awaiting re-fixing et al.
That’s not all. The building appears badly in need of a spruce up. The main water fountain right at the entrance of the imposing building has not been functioning for a long time now, while the building appears craving for a fresh coat of paint.
Broken benches and damaged lamp poles inside the sprawling complex are an indication that all is not well with the maintenance of the bhavan.
As per the plan to replace the interlocking pavers last year, the ones laid at the rear of the building were all removed as part of the repair and renovation plan. Months have passed and the pavers have still not been fixed.
Authorities had mooted a state-of-the-art audio studio around a decade ago with the support of ONGC. The audio studio proposed around 2011 had failed to take off after the government in 2012 referred the matter to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for investigations over issues relating to codal formalities.
Incidentally, when the Ravindra Bhavan had played host to the IFFI 2011 inaugural ceremony, then Union I&B Minister, Ambika Soni, had announced two mini theatres. Not only have the theatres failed to see the light of day, but a proposal mooted during the last two years to build an exclusive auditorium for Konkani programmes with multi-level parking facility are all confined to the record books of the cultural institution.
