In the Legislative Assembly, the CM has maintained that all defects during the Defect Liability Period (DLP) must be corrected by the original contractor at no extra cost — a claim that sounds reassuring but glosses over key facts. It remains unclear how the Public Works Department (PWD) allowed such flaws to pass in the first place, and whether any official has been held responsible for oversight failures.
The Chief Minister did add that, in the event of non-compliance, another agency could be brought in to complete pending works, with costs recovered from the original contractor. However, he offered no timeline for action, nor any explanation for the government’s inaction since the reopening.
Further, in a move many see as too little, too late, the government has announced a State-level oversight committee to monitor institutions like Ravindra Bhavans, Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir and Institute Menezes Braganza — an initiative critics argue should have preceded the flawed Kala Academy renovation, not followed it.
What began as a cultural infrastructure upgrade has now ballooned into a full-blown governance mess — marked by poor planning and lack of transparency. For now, Goa’s artists, performers and citizens continue to watch as committees meet and reports are awaited, while one of the State’s most iconic cultural spaces remains stuck between rhetoric and reality.