SANTOSH NAIK
PONDA
It may be considered the cultural capital of the State, but Ponda taluka has been struggling to complete its Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir complex since the past five years.
Endless delays have led to an escalation in the cost of renovating the Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir and as a result, artistes have been deprived of showcasing their talent in art, drama and culture.
While local Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamledar is confident that the Kala Mandir will be completed by December, reliable sources have suggested that the project could take at least one year for completion, given the slow pace of work.
It may be recalled that residents of Ponda and surrounding areas have been eagerly awaiting the completion of the project since the last five years. In the absence of the facilities, people have had to visit the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao and Kala Academy in Panjim to watch the entertainment, dramas and other programmes.
The Kala Mandir at Ponda was to be thrown open in December 2013, but was later postponed to May 2014 and now the government hopes to complete the project by December 19.
Ponda MLA and chairman of Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir project at Ponda, Lavoo Mamledar, recently inspected the Kala Mandir project.
“The civil work of the project is 90% completed, while the internal work of the theatre, installing of chairs, sound system and many other works require few more months. The audience capacity of the renovated theatre has been increased to 1,200 seats from the 800 seats,” Mamledar said.
He accused the previous Congress government of poor planning which had led to the demolition of the eight-year-old Rajiv Kala Mandir to renovate the centre with better facilities.
“In the beginning, the estimated cost was Rs 32 crore and till date, works worth Rs 70 crore have been completed. But due to a delay, the cost could well reach Rs 80 crore. If the then government had decided to modernise the theatre project, it could have been possible to construct a new modern theatre by acquiring land at Farmagudi or any other place in Ponda,” stated Mamledar.
“The old Kala Mandir could have been utilised as a mini-entertainment centre or any other purpose, instead of demolishing the project,” he added.
Mahadev (Apa) Khanolkar, a theatre artist and film producer who is also a former councillor, said in the absence of theatre, artistes face great hardship to promote their art, including rehearsals.
“We are eagerly waiting for the completion of the project. We have to travel to Panjim, Margao and other parts of the State for entertainment programmes. Being a cultural city, Ponda should encourage its artistes and the State government should ensure that the project is not delayed for so long,” said Khanolkar.
Mamledar said the renovated work of Rajiv Kala Mandir complex is being expedited, so that it can be completed by the end of the year.
“From 2015, the Rajiv Kala Mandir complex will be available to the general public, theatre artistes and for commercial entertainment programmes,” he informed.
When contacted, sources informed Herald that the work to install chairs, electrical connection and stage work requires additional time.
“It is highly unlikely that the project will be completed by this year. It would take at least one more year for the Kala Mandir to be fully ready,” said the source.
