the goan I network
MARGAO
Asserting that Konkani tiatr and nataks haven been an integral part of Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn, Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday said he would petition the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to take up the issue of GST imposed on these art forms with the GST council.
He, however, said that no tiatrist or any producer or director has petitioned him till date on the GST issue, while saying the government will take suitable action once it receives a representation from the tiatr fraternity.
Sardesai said there's a possibility that many a tiatrist may not come under the GST bracket for the simple reason that it may be applicable only to tiatrists whose turnover is Rs 20 lakh and more.
Addressing the media, Sardesai pointed out that the Goa Forward Party will not make any comprise on tiatr, when it is the culture and very essence of Goa. "Many sections of Goan society and industry have been affected by GST. After they made representations to the government, the Chief Minister took up the matter with the GST Council. The government will take similar action once it receives petition from the tiatrists," he said.
Saying that the government will not pay lip service to the cause of tiatrists, but will work out a concrete solution to their grievances, the TCP Minister said one or two tiatrists may have even resorted to personal attacks against him, but he is firmly opposed to any censorship on tiatr. "Tiatr is our culture and it will be taken forward. We do not believe in censorship," he added.
Replying to a question, he said he has asked Chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, Prashant Naik, to study the issue since Ravindra Bhavan, which gets major revenue from tiatr, may be affected with the GST on tiatr.
When his attention was drawn to Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco's claim that the tiatrists have not made representations to the government fearing harassment, Sardesai said the tiatrists need not worry about any harassment from the government. "There's one tiatr which has been personally targeting me. The tiatr has held shows in Ravindra Bhavan, which falls in my constituency. I have not reacted to it till date, though someone might have expected that our supporters would do something. The fear that tiatrists will face harassment is unfounded. We have received taunts in tiatrs but we will do justice for the popular form of Goan art," he said
