Panaji: The BJP government in Goa came under attack after a portion of the open auditorium of the renovated Kala Academy collapsed on Monday.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral later carried out an inspection and said that a white paper will be released on the incident.
Speaking to reporters, Cabral said that an inquiry will also be initiated into the matter.
“I will release a white paper on it. Technical inquiry will be carried out and we will check how it collapsed,” Cabral said, adding that the Kala Academy will be reopened only after repair work is complete and the process of handover (to Art and Culture Department) is done,” Cabral said.
Meanwhile, leader of opposition Yuri Alemao said,“This is ‘Mission Total Commission’. Sub-standard work has been done there. I will demand a judicial inquiry into the collapse of the Kala Academy’s portion. This is a serious issue.”
Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said, “The real Taj Mahal still stands because the real Shah Jahan was not on 40 per cent commission. I was attacked mercilessly by the BJP for exposing the massive irregularities in the renovation of our prestigious Kala Academy.
“Today, I stand vindicated. The grand corruption by Goa’s Shah Jahan will eventually lead to the destruction of Goa. What excuse will the government come up with now?”
It may be recalled that while defending the state government’s move to nominate a contractor for the renovation work of Kala Academy without floating a tender, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude had said in July last year that even Shah Jahan did not invite quotations before building the Taj Mahal.
“Taj Mahal was built between 1632 and 1653. Do you know why it is still so beautiful and everlasting? Because Shah Jahan never invited quotations to build it. That is why the Taj Mahal is intact even after 400 years,” Gaude had said.
Sardesai had alleged that no tender was floated for the restoration work (of Kala Academy) worth around Rs 49 crore, which is against the CPWD manual. He had also demanded a probe into the restoration of Kala Academy, which was designed by legendary architect Charles Correa.
Meanwhile, Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) MLA Viresh Borkar said that renovation work of the Kala Academy had started without tendering work.
“It was sub-standard work. The government spent Rs 49 crore on renovation work. The government has failed,” he said.
–IANS
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