Panaji: Putting further pressure on the government over the restoration of the Kala Academy, prominent artists and writers of the coastal state have threatened to launch a statewide movement from July 2.
Earlier on June 17, they had demanded the resignation of Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude over alleged wrong-doing and “sub-standard work” carried out during the refurbishment of the Kala Academy building.
Designed by architect Charles Correa and started in 1970, the Kala Academy has emerged as the premier art and culture centre of the state.
These artists and writers have now formed a forum “Kala Rakhan Maand Goa (KRMG)” to intensify their agitation.
KRMG convener and stage artist Devidas Amonkar, addressing a press conference said that their movement will be peaceful, respecting the Constitution.
“We are starting our movement from July 2 at the Kala Academy. Subsequently, we will try to meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Minister Govind Gaude to demand a white paper on the Kala Academy restoration work,” Amonkar said.
“Through this forum we will conduct a peaceful movement by respecting the Constitution. We will raise our questions and we expect a reply from responsible persons,” he said.
He said that taluka-wise sub-committees will be formed to intensify the movement.
“Since the last three years we have been raising our voice over the Kala Academy. But we are not getting replies. Now we want a white paper,” he stated.
Renovation work started at the Kala Academy in 2021 and it was reopened in November 2023. However, since its reopening, the Academy has been in the news for water leakage and other issues. In December 2023, the mirror in the green room collapsed a month after it was reopened.
In April, people vented their ire against the government after the false ceiling of the Academy building collapsed.
Irked over a series of such incidents, theatre artists, writers and those associated with the Kala Academy on June 17 held a meeting here and vented their anger against the government for not resolving the Academy’s issues.
Besides water leakage in the main auditorium, they also complained about the acoustics there.
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