MAPUSA
Amid calls for a white paper on the renovation work conducted at the Kala Academy and the resignation of Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, the Public Works Department (PWD), responsible for executing the repair and renovation of the iconic building, announced its intention to complete all work by the end of this month.
PWD Chief Engineer Santosh Mhapne stated that the department had officially handed over the Kala Academy building in January of this year.
However, additional repair work was later requested by the government and is currently underway.
“We are improving whatever the KA has suggested. We are trying to complete the entire work by the end of this month,” Mhapne confirmed.
The chief engineer also noted that the building is still under a defect liability period, and all ongoing repairs are being handled by the contracted company without incurring extra costs to the government.
“We are not spending anything extra now. Whatever is being done, the cost will be borne by the company,” he added.
The structural repairs and renovation work at the Kala Academy were awarded to Techton Buildcons Pvt Ltd in 2021 at a cost of approximately Rs 49 crore.
The contract was granted without the usual tendering process.
The PWD justified this decision by citing the urgent need for repairs and maintained that in exceptional cases, the tendering process can be bypassed.
Concerns about the quality of work surfaced after a portion of the building’s false ceiling collapsed due to unseasonal rain in April, raising questions about the workmanship.
Water leakage through the roof was identified as the cause of the ceiling collapse.
Further issues arose in mid-May when the Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium experienced leaks during a Konkani tiatr performance.
Additionally, the slab of the open auditorium had collapsed in a similar incident the previous year.
The opposition seized these incidents to criticise the government and specifically targeted Minister Govind Gaude, accusing the administration of conducting substandard work at the State’s premier cultural centre and labelling the renovation project a significant scam.
