CM orders contractor to fix KA works by Oct

Panaji:Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that the contractor who was allowed to carry out annual maintenance work at Kala Academy would be directed to complete the work of Kala Academy by Oct, as suggested by the task force committee. He also mentioned that the contractor would be terminated. “We will terminate the contract and blacklist him. As a punishment, he has to complete the work,” Sawant said.The chief minister stated that the contractor wouldn’t be paid any additional cost. “I have received the report from both the committees, including the task force committee. We have taken suggestions from the sound and light engineer,” Sawant said.“For those works not mentioned in the previous tender, a separate tender would be floated,” Sawant said.The viewer-performer intimacy is lost with the removal of the front row at the Kala Academy auditorium, said the task force examining the facility’s deficiencies. The task force submitted its report to the CM on May 8.“For any drama, the ‘A’ row allows one to be close to the stage. If they decide to convert the auditorium into a cinema hall, where distance is very important, then the ‘Z’ row becomes important,” task force chairperson Vijay Kenkre told TOI.He added, “The ‘A’ row needs to be restored because in a theatre show, the intimacy between the audience and performers is mandatory.”This was one of the many problems highlighted by the task force in its report. It also highlights issues such as the positioning of the AC duct, sound and lighting problems, and carpeted wings that hinder set movement, among others.“What is the use of the carpet in the wings when we cannot slide the set? Initially, the space was kept free on either side because that enabled us to slide the set. Now we cannot do that,” he said.