Five years have elapsed, but the renovation work of the Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir (RGKM) project is yet to be completed. Presently, shortage of funds and non-payment of the contractor’s bills have halted the work. Ponda residents, especially artists, continue to face hardship as they lack a proper entertainment centre.
Ponda is widely known as the culture capital of Goa and a temple town. It has many artists from different fields, but for the last five years, they do not have any place to rehearse or perform as the RGKM renovation work, which was proposed by the erstwhile Congress government in 2010, is progressing at snail’s pace.
The renovated RGKM project will have modern facilities and an increase in its seating capacity from 700 to 1000 chairs. The work is estimated to cost Rs 45 crore.
There were several assurances to complete the work, and as many deadlines were set, but the work is yet to completed. Ponda residents, especially artists, are getting more frustrated with each day and have demanded that the project be completed soon.
Former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, at the inauguration of the Ponda sub-district hospital in 2012, declared that the RGKM would open in May 2012. Later, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar and Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamledar declared that the work would be completed in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The last was August 15, and once that passed, a new deadline of December 19 was set. However, it does not look like the project will be completed by then.
MLAs and ministers have claimed that the work of the RGKM project and other projects were delayed due to the cash crunch caused by the mining ban. A few months ago, Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) Chairman Pramod Sawant, Dhavalikar and Mamledar inspected the project and assured to expedite the work.
The RGKM used to organize state-level events, like fugdi, ghumat aarthi, dramas, and tiatrs. Now, the same events are held at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, or Kala Academy, Panjim.
Film producer and dramatist Mahadev Khanolkar, who is also a former Ponda councillor, said, “The government and GSIDC should see that Pondaites are suffering as they have no proper stage to present their art and are also missing entertainment from artists from outside states. Many state-level contests could not held at RGKM due to the renovation work. Recently, RGKM held its state-level fugdi contest after a gap of five years, but it was at the Margao and Sankhali Ravindra Bhavan.”
Khanolkar also doubted that the work will be completed this year and added, “The delay might be due to shortage of funds, political reasons or whatever, but the people should not be inconvenienced. Artists like me and others are frustrated due to the delay in completion the work.”
Meanwhile, Ponda MLA and RGKM president Lavoo Mamledar stated that he is continuously following-up the matter. He stated that around 80 to 90 percent of the work had been completed, but added that the work had been stalled as the bills of the contractors had not been paid due to shortage of funds. He admitted that inaugurating the project is not possible this year as declared earlier by him.
