Fight Back for Kala Academy (A pamphlet released on April 1, 2011. Courtesy - Former Ward Councillor Patricia Pinto)
Kala Academy has plans to axe 30 age old trees from its adjacent “Parking area” to build an annexe. Panjim is slowly losing its tree cover to give way to concrete structures. This tree cover at the Kala Academy complex lends beauty, shade and serenity not only to Kala Academy but to the entire surrounding area. Campal is known for its shady tree cover and specially when the entire world is concerned about rise in heal levels and global warming, we surely cannot afford to let any more of our City’s tree cover get destroyed in the name of “development”. The plans for the proposed Kala Academy annex which extend into the existing “parking space” spread over an area of 30000 sqft, which will house an auditorium, a board room, some offices, a Director’s cabin, drama/video rooms, library, etc. Everybody is aware that whenever functions are held in the present Kala Academy the traffic spills on into the streets outside, not only on the D.B. Marg but ironically on its footpaths too, besides clogging every lane of the Campal residential area opposite the Kala Academy. The traffic Police find it impossible to control the traffic and have even approached the management of Kala Academy vide their letter dated 13 February 2009, not to permit exhibitions in their parking lot(Darya Sangam) as there is acute shortage of parking place in the Kala Academy as also the Capital City. Unfortunately, the Kala Academy authorities chose to ignore not only this plea of the Traffic Police but have gone a step further to propose a huge annexe in the parking lot. You may note that 307 parking spaces have been provided for existing Kala Academy structure as well as the new annexe. Calculate for yourself. One car carries four persons, a scooter two. The present auditorium has 954 seats, the open air amphitheatre has 1034 seats besides people attending exhibitions, consumer melas, music and dance classes as well as offices and the canteen, and add to that seats in the new auditorium and other spaces in the annexe. Are we heading for a disaster? Good planning should take into consideration the impact the proposed building would have on the surrounding space, its environment i.e. its tree cover as well as the people living or moving around. We feel that all this has been ignored and the authorities have been “pressurized” into issuing the necessary permissions without considering any of these aspects. It is also pertinent to note that the Kala Academy in spite of not being a Government Department but an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act, has been exempted by the Forest Department from paying the fee required under the Tree Act. The Kala Academy has only been asked to plant “tree saplings” 3 times the number of trees to be cut within its complex. The Forest Department has not cared to find out whether there would be any space left within the Kala Academy Complex after building of the Annexe to plant 90 “saplings” nor has it cared to specify the type of saplings to be planted as per the Act. On 25th of March 2011 three full grown coconut trees were uprooted for which no permission was obtained. And to top it all, it is important to note that though the Kala Academy has failed to clear its outstanding dues of a whopping 38 lakhs owed to the CCP towards house tax for which the CCP has raised a demand notice, and even though the CCP has stopped picking up Kala Academy’s garbage for want of paying their garbage tax, the CCP has gone ahaead and issued a Construction license to the Kala Academy for yet another complex! Is the law only for the common man like you and me? The CCP has issued a stop work order for the moment. Do you think we should go all out to stop the felling of our beautiful trees? Do you have any suggestions to make? Would you like to get involved and be one of those making a difference to our city? If you think so email your suggestions on commonmanun...@gmail.com along with your phone number and we will compile the same and send it to the authorities.