Once bitten, twice shy. This
has been the approach of Khell Tiatrists who have wholeheartedly entertained
and dazzled crowds that attend the Margao Carnival. Having performed in 2010,
they faced issues regarding payment and are in the same boat five years later.
“There was another instance in
2010, during the tenure of former MMC chairperson Savio Coutinho,
co-incidentally an election year for the council. We had staged shows of our
khell tiatrs in all 20 municipal wards and were promised that we would be paid
within three months,” stated Piety, who had staged five shows in each MMC
ward.
The tiatrists who performed at
the carnival programme have complained to the civic body and are upset that
they have not been paid their dues. They are still sore over the 2010 incident
with the previous council body where they were not paid after being contracted
to perform during the carnival festivities and fear that with the current
council’s term ending, they may face the same fate in 2015.
MMC chairperson Arthur D’Silva
who was urged by the tiatrists to pay their dues from the municipal funds,
stated that he had spoken to the tourism department to sanction the funds so
that they get relief and are paid immediately.
Tiatrists have stated that the
MMC has defaulted in clearing their payments of nearly Rs 2 lakhs.
The 10 affected khell tiatr
directors comprising Piety de Navelim, Dada de Maina, Cajetan de Curtorim,
Rodrigues de Benaulim, Comedian Anthony, Peter de Macazana, Jack Rodson, Seby
de Curtorim, Joaquim Dias and Patrick Dourado have repeatedly met with the MMC
over the last few months. The directors who were given contracts to stage tiatrs
in the municipal wards were promised to be paid within three months as per the
agreement.
Pointing out that D’Silva had
headed the Margao Carnival committee this year, Dada de Maina asked why the
traditional form was at the receiving end of step-motherly treatment. He added
that he was not paid for the performance in 2012.
