Panaji: More than a month after a govt-appointed task force recommended shutting the 900-seat Dinanath Mangeshkar Kalamandir (DMK) auditorium at Kala Academy, Panaji, for corrective repairs, state govt has yet to act.The task force had recommended closing the auditorium from Aug 1 for an estimated two to three months to rectify defects identified in a detailed technical study by IIT Madras, conducted after the recent renovation of the iconic Charles Correa-designed complex.With Aug already under way, no formal notifications have been issued to block bookings, postpone scheduled events, or begin repairs.Task force member Francis Coelho said the recommendation was limited to the DMK auditorium and did not involve shutting the entire Kala Academy complex.“One of our recommendations was that the work should happen in pockets. We cannot shut down Kala Academy entirely as was done earlier. One section should be repaired while the remaining facilities continue functioning. The academy should not suffer because of the repairs,” he said.Coelho added that the phased approach was aimed at minimising disruption to cultural events while ensuring defects are addressed systematically.The task force now plans to wait for its chairperson, Vijay Kenkre, who is travelling, to return to India before deciding the next course of action.“The matter primarily rests with the public works department. The next steps therefore have to move through the PWD before reaching the art and culture department and Kala Academy,” Coelho said.
