PANJIM: Minister for Art & Culture Govind Gaude has asked critics not to politicise the ongoing renovation of Goa’s iconic Kala Academy that expects completion in August. This is after he asked “who” the Charles Correia Foundation, conceived by the master Correia himself was?
The minister on Monday took along with him video and print journalists to record the restoration works at the venue, which has hosted some of the major events like the International Film Festival of India, regional film festivals, cultural programs, and tiatr, among others.
While the minister hinted at Charles Correia Foundation questioning the work, the minister urged that the issue should not be politicized. “I can clearly say that the issue is being politicized. Who is doing it and who is provoking it is to be seen? We don’t want to drag the issue but complete the project immediately,” he told reporters amid inspection with the concerned architects and engineers.
The minister recalled that Charles Correia had not interfered with the modification of Black Box in 2004 while the CCF was raising objections time and again unnecessarily. “We are placing the sheets for safety purposes. We are also restoring several aspects of the main auditorium. The works are going transparently. There’s nothing hidden from the world,” he said further, adding that they are keen to reopen the structure for artists.
He said the works being done involved restoration with inevitable repair and finishing works reiterating no changes being done to the integral aspects of Kala Academy and was expecting the work to be completed by August.
The CCF and minister are at loggerheads over the renovation of KA with allegations and counter-allegations being publicly made.
