The canteen facility at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao which has still not re-started.
Photo Credits: Santosh MIrajkar
MARGAO
Will the Minister for Art and Culture Govind Gawde and the Director explain to tiatr lovers in particular and citizens in general why the canteen facility at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao is not re-started at the Mecca of Tiatr?
The duo also owe an explanation why the tender forms supposed to be issued to prospected Self Help Groups around mid-September to run the canteen has been kept on hold.
The canteen facility at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao has been shut down for the last several months, inconveniencing the tiatr lovers as well as citizens attending programmes at the cultural institution.
The Goan understands that Ravindra Bhavan Margao had done the spadework to issue the tender forms to the prospective bidders around mid-September. Sources, however, said that the process could not take off for reasons best known to senior Art and Culture officials.
The Member Secretary, Ravindra Bhavan, Margao could not be contacted to shed light on the canteen facility since he has proceeded out of station.
Sources, however, said that the Ravindra Bhavan , Margao has completed the process of issuing the forms to the prospective bidders around mid-September, but the process was kept on hold for reasons best known to senior officials of Art and culture.
It is learnt that the PWD had initially estimated rent for the canteen facility pegged at a whopping Rs 88,000 per month. The institution, however, was advised to reduce the amount to half to facilitate bidders to apply to run the canteen.
Sadly, the process has come to a halt as no new proposal has been floated by the cultural institution till date. It could not be gathered whether the process of issuing the canteen contract will resume only after the government appoints a Chairman to head the Ravindra Bhavan .
In the absence of the canteen facility, sources pointed out that some persons put in place makeshift arrangement for refreshment for the tiatr lovers. Sources, however, questioned the undue delay in restarting the canteen facility at the Ravindra Bhavan, with questions being raised whether the tendering process will resume only after a new Chairman takes charge of the cultural institution.
