PANAJI
Just a day after Panaji recorded the highest unseasonal rainfall, the recently renovated and already partially-operational Kala Academy faced infrastructural issues yet again as a portion of the false ceiling collapsed early Monday morning.
Moreover, the Dinanath Mangeshkar Auditorium also suffered from leaks from the rooftop, a situation that once again raised questions about the overall quality of renovations overseen by the government.
As the Opposition took no time to corner the government, BJP State President Sadanand Shet Tanavade was prompt to reveal that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured an inquiry into the incident while Art & Culture Minister Govind Gaude put the onus on the PWD.
“The PWD has been carrying out the works at Kala Academy and not the Art & Culture Department. It is for the PWD experts to supervise the works to ensure there are no infrastructural or technical issues, which I as an Art & Culture Minister have been writing to them during my field inspections,” Gaude said while speaking to The Goan on the incident.
The minister has also slammed critics that he has often been made a soft target of certain elements trying to tarnish his political image. About the leakage, the minister claimed ‘opening of some passage’ while assuring quick rectification.
The iconic structure witnessed the collapse of the open auditorium’s roof in July 2023 – which was not taken up for repairs – followed by the breaking of the mirror in the green room in December 2023.
The Goa Forward Party took a dig at the government stating the incident was just a trailer before the monsoons. “This is just a trailer. The collapse of the ceiling at the prestigious Kala Academy at the first instance of rains is only a warning of what could happen in monsoons… Govt of Goa’s total disregard for Goan lives,” reads the social media post by GFP.
Congress media chairman Amarnath Panajikar, on the other hand, alleged a wastage of Rs 60 crore public funds utilized on Kala Academy’s renovation.
