MARGAO
Even as the storm brewing over the shutting down of the Pai Tiatrist hall for tiatr and other events has subsided for the moment, Ravindra Bhavan, Margao has indeed been craving for attention over the years.
It’s not just the centralised air-conditioned system that has been looking forward to maintenance after two of the three chillers broke down two years ago. Maintenance has been the far cry at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, which was decked up for the inaugural International IFFI festival in 2011 after spending crores of rupees.
Consider this. Cracks have surfaced all over the Ravindra Bhavan building, but the temporary solution has not helped to plug the holes. In fact, the cracks have resurfaced and are visible at many places in the building.
The interlocking pavers, which had got damaged after the IFFI festival, is another issue, which has not been addressed till date. Though work on re-fixing the pavers was taken up during the tenure of former Chairman Damu Naik, one will still come across many interlocking pavers in a damaged state.
The fate of the state-of-the-art audio studio, which was proposed to be set up at the Ravindra Bhavan, is yet to see the light of day. 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.
Take note, the Department of Art and Culture had taken up issues of water seepage into the auditorium during the last one decade, but other issues are still to fall in place.
When The Goan called up Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude to shed light on the long delay in addressing repairs and maintenance issues affecting Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, he said his Ministry is seized of the matter. In fact, Gaude said he has asked the department to prepare estimates for the repairs and maintenance of the Ravindra Bhavans across the State before the government takes up the work together.
“I am aware of the issues facing the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. I can promise that all issues pertaining to Ravindra Bhavan, Margao will be addressed and resolved,” he added.
