PORVORIM: Opposition MLAs on Tuesday criticised the government for spending Rs 49.57 crore on the Kala Academy building renovation and strongly demanded the formation of a House Committee and an FIR against those responsible for the alleged substandard work.
The Opposition targeted Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for the Public Works Department’s (PWD) refusal to acknowledge defects in the Kala Academy renovation. They rejected Sawant’s argument that the contractor’s defect liability period was three years and the maintenance period was five years. “How can a newly renovated structure be leaking and have defects?” they questioned. Amid the uproar, the Chief Minister agreed to form a committee of artists and involve the Charles Correa Foundation to address and rectify the defects.
Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai criticised the PWD for not accepting the work as substandard and demanded details of the defects identified in Kala Academy, as well as the actions taken to rectify them.
Sardesai further stated that the Charles Correa Foundation had reported defects in the renovation work and called for a House Committee to investigate the Kala Academy’s collapse and substandard work. He also demanded a list of items that were replaced in the Kala Academy.
In response to a starred question jointly tabled by Ferreira and Sardesai, CM Pramod Sawant informed the House that the report of the three-member committee appointed to thoroughly study the issue would be tabled during the next Assembly session. He assured the members that the government would form a committee of ‘genuine’ artists to provide suggestions regarding the Kala Academy. Suggestions from both the Opposition and the Charles Correa Foundation would be considered, Sawant added.
The Chief Minister also stated that the structural stability of the iconic building after renovation had been verified by IIT Mumbai.
Sawant informed that out of the total Rs 49.57 crore, Rs 42 crore had been paid to the contractor to date. The contractor’s defect liability period is three years, and he is expected to maintain the structure for five years.
Sawant further noted that the renovation work had made it possible to hold programmes at Kala Academy even during the monsoon, as issues with water entering the main auditorium and affecting the first six rows had been resolved.
When questioned by Opposition members about whether a post-work audit had been conducted on the renovation works, Sawant said that a third-party agency, RITES, had been appointed for quality assurance. The works had been completed, and the Kala Academy Complex was handed over on January 9 this year.