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Journalism of Courage
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Thursday told the state Assembly that the corrosion of structural steel and composite structures over the last four decades led to the sudden collapse of a slab of the open-air auditorium at the iconic Kala Academy in Panaji last month.
“Four reports have been obtained, (including an interim report from IIT Delhi), which indicate that the failure of the structure (was) basically due to the corrosion of structural steel…and also not being embedded in the RCC (reinforced cement concrete) slab, causing reduction of the load and the moment-resisting capacity of the structural members. Hence, the composite structures were under corrosion attacks for over 43 years, resulting in the sudden collapse of the structure steel members and RCC slab,” Sawant said.
After the collapse of the portion of the Kala Academy – the state’s premier art and cultural centre – on July 17, the government ordered a probe. Sawant said that the PWD Principal Chief Engineer was asked to appoint an independent agency – IIT Roorkee or any other IIT/NIT – to probe the matter. The department had also sought an explanation from the contractor in charge of renovation works.
Sawant said since there was no response from IIT Roorkee despite continuous follow-up, the government requested IIT Delhi that agreed to conduct a detailed investigation.
Pointing out that the existing Kala Academy complex is nearly a 43-year-old structure, Sawant said that the structural repair of strengthening the open-air auditorium was not carried out and 40 cm average thickness old waterproofing was removed and a new layer was laid with a thickness of 20-30 cm, including the chemical waterproofing, which was completed before the last monsoon.
The renovation work at Kala Academy designed by architect Charles Correa has been marred by allegations of corruption, with Opposition parties alleging irregularities in allocating renovation work without a tendering process. For more than two years, the premises have been shut on account of renovation work.
Sawant said that before the renovation work started, three independent reports had mentioned that there was no need for demolition of the complex.
In response to a question by AAP MLA Venzy Viegas on the current status of renovation, Minister for Arts and Culture Govind Gaude stated that 85 per cent of the work has been completed. He added that the expected date of completion of the project was October 15, 2023, but due to the collapse of the slab, it has been delayed further.
When the issue of renovation work was raised during the monsoon session of the state Assembly last year, Minister for Arts and Culture Govind Gaude defended the government’s decision to allocate a work order without a tender, quipping that even Mughal emperor Shah Jahan did not call for quotations before building the Taj Mahal.
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