PWD officials meet today to discuss, take necessary action
PANAJI
The State government constituted Task Force, to review the recently renovated work of the iconic Kala Academy, on Thursday submitted its findings to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, detailing nearly 18-20 faults in the renovation work that was undertaken at a whopping cost of over Rs 60 crore.
The report, which according to the committee members, is expected by the Chief Minister, has recommended appointing three consultants – Roger Drego, Sheetal Talpade and Rajan Bhise – to undertake necessary modifications or alterations.
Speaking to media persons, Sawant confirmed that the Task Force has submitted its report and a meeting with the officials of Public Works Department is scheduled on Friday, to discuss and take necessary action based on the findings.
“I have not gone through the report…have just got it…will have a detailed meeting tomorrow with the officials and take decision,” Sawant said.
The extensive renovation and strengthening of Kala Academy was in progress since 2021 before it was thrown open to the public in November 2023. A whopping amount of over Rs 60 crore were spent on the renovation, before another Rs 10.56 crore were allotted to PWD to undertake further repair work of the renovated structure in June, last year.
The renovation work has been under scanner after a portion collapsed in July 2023. Before that in April a portion of its false ceiling had collapsed due to incessant rains, which even led to flooding within the auditorium.
The government in September constituted a 13-member task force committee, chaired by a theatre artist Vijay Kenkre, to review the current status of infrastructure work at the Kala Academy. The committee was asked to provide recommendations for improvement and upgradation of the iconic structure, which has been mired in controversy since the renovation began.
Kenkre, speaking after submitting the report, revealed that the task force identified 18 to 20 specific faults in the renovation. “We have handed over detailed observations to the Chief Minister, who assured us that rectification work will begin following discussions with the PWD. The task force will continue to oversee the corrections,” Kenkre stated.
Kenkre said that the issues pertaining to sound, lighting, ACs, open auditorium, Black Box, everything has been raised in the report, which is accepted by the Chief Minister.
He also added that a new tender process will be initiated for the rectification work and that Kala Academy may be temporarily closed while the issues are addressed. “Final call will be taken by the government whether to close the facility or keep it open,” he said.
“As we had said in the beginning, all is not well with the renovation work, as it was claimed,” he maintained.
The Task Force includes representatives from the PWD, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), Kala Academy, Kala Rakhonn Mand, and initially, the Charles Correa Foundation, which later opted out. Prior to submitting the report, the task force conducted a detailed inspection of the Kala Academy premises.
