PANAJI
The 2020-21 State Budget has proposals to establish Kala Bhavans at Mapusa, Pernem and Sanguem. Also, the Kala Mandir at Cortalim will be made operational soon.
While addressing the House in the Budget session, the Chief Minister also proposed to strengthen the existing infrastructure at Ravindra Bhavans. The scheme to provide musical instruments to cultural troupes like Bhajani Mandal, Choir Groups and Shigmotsav Mandals, will be revived. A new Goa State Museum will be set up soon and the historic forts and fortresses in the State would also be restored in the near future. Stating that to facilitate faster public access and delivery, archival records will be digitized, the Chief Minister proposed to conserve one lakh archival records for posterity.
Mentioning that the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), under the aegis of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), has brought a worldwide acclaim to the State, the Chief Minister proposed to construct a state-of-the-art convention centre with 5000 seating capacity on PPP mode.
The Department of Information and Publicity will be empowered by upgrading its system and procedures by using modern day technology and platforms. The Chief Minister also promised to implement the long-pending 'Advertisement Policy'. The government will introduce a legislation 'Goa Journalist Welfare Bill' to protect them from violence and any damage to their life/property, while discharging their duties, he stated.
Meanwhile, the Kala Academy building will be repaired and renovated at the cost of Rs 50 crore and the same agency that has worked on the Goa Sadan in Mumbai, has been allotted this responsibility. The work of repairs and renovation will be completed within a year’s time and until the place is ready, all the programmes of Kala Academy (KA) will be held elsewhere. A budget of Rs 49,57,11000 has been sanctioned for KA repairs and renovations in the recent cabinet meeting, briefed Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to the media.
As the structure of the Kala Academy has become old, its repairs and renovation are important. However, to bring down the entire structure and construct a new building in its place would have required various permissions. “Hence, it has been decided to repair the entire building and also renovate a part of it, at the cost of Rs 50 crore,” stated Dr Sawant.
Meanwhile, it is understood that there was much similarity in the reports submitted by the Goa College of Engineering (GCE), State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GIDC) and Public Works Department (PWD) regarding the state of the KA building. “That’s why the government has decided to undertake the repairs,” stated the CM.
“The pillars, auditorium and black box will be repaired fully. The slab has deteriorated due to waterproofing issues, which would be resolved by implementing the latest technology,” informed Art and Culture minister and KA chairman Govind Gaude. The repairs and renovation work will commence from April 2 and the government intends to complete the same within a year's period. The same agency that had worked on the Goa Sadan in Mumbai, has been handed over the repairing responsibility of KA, Gaude further informed.
Two new auditoriums will be constructed at the Kala Academy, each having 600 and 300 seating capacity. Until the repairs are done, the programmes will be shifted to various other places, mentioned the Art and Culture minister.
