However, Minister for Arts and Culture Govind Gaude said that the collapsed portion was not undergoing repairs or strengthening work

A large portion of the structure of an open-air auditorium at the Kala Academy in Panaji collapsed on Monday. According to officials, no one was injured. The government has ordered a probe into the incident, and the Opposition has renewed allegations of corruption in the renovation work underway at the prominent cultural hub.

Roof of newly renovated Kala Academy auditorium collapses © OHeraldo Goa

Designed by renowned architect Charles Correa and built in the 1960s, the Kala Academy has emerged as the state’s premier art and culture centre over several decades.1

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant directed the principal chief engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) to conduct an inspection and said that details about the structure’s collapse would be shared after the inspection is complete.

The renovation work, estimated to cost more than Rs 55 crore, has been marred by allegations of corruption, with Opposition parties alleging irregularities in allocating work without a tendering process.

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On Monday, after inspecting the site of the collapse, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral told the media that a detailed inquiry would be conducted to probe the reasons for the collapse, and that a white paper would be subsequently released.2

Opposition parties targeted the government over the collapse, demanding a thorough investigation into the incident and calling for the sacking of the minister overseeing the project.3

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  • 1. For more than two years, the premises have been shut on account of renovation work being carried out by the government. However, Minister for Arts and Culture Govind Gaude said that the collapsed portion was declared stable by two agencies, and hence, was not undergoing repairs or renovation.
  • 2. The PWD has written to IIT Roorkee to carry out a detailed investigation of the incident. The office of the principal chief engineer of PWD has also written to the contractor undertaking the renovation work, directing the firm to submit a detailed explanation of the incident by Tuesday and to obtain the independent report from IIT Mumbai, which carried out the structural stability assessment of the Kala Academy.
  • 3. Recalling minister Gaude’s reference to the Taj Mahal, Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai said, “The real Taj Mahal still stands because the real Shah Jahan was not on 40 per cent commission. The grand corruption [that] Goa’s Shah Jahans are perpetrating will eventually lead to the destruction of Goa. What excuse does the Goa government have now? Will the minister who was defending this disaster quit and hand over charge to someone clean and competent before the whole building collapses?”