Panaji, Aug 11 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday tabled a report pertaining to the collapse of a portion of the renovated Kala Academy, in which he said that the sudden collapse of the roof of the open auditorium was caused by corroded steel in the structure.

Sawant said that IIT Roorkey was asked to prepare a report, but it didn’t respond to the follow-ups of the Goa government.

“There was no response from IIT Roorkey. Hence, reports from IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, RITES and Public Works Department were obtained. Interim reports from the four agencies indicated that failure of the structure was basically due to the corrosion of the steel, which resulted in the sudden collapse of the roof,” he said.

The Chief Minster also said that the Kala Academy complex is a nearly 43 years old.

“Structural repair (strengthening) of the open auditorium was not carried out. However, the old waterproofing layer of around 40 cm was removed and a new waterproofing layer of around 22 to 30 cm was laid reducing thickness, which was done during last monsoon,” Sawant clarified.

The BJP government in Goa had come under attack after the Kala Academy portion collapsed on July 17. The next day, the opposition had created ruckus during the beginning of the monsoon session of the Assembly, demanding discussion on the roof collapse.

Later, Sawant had assured to get the matter inquired by independent agencies and table the report during the ongoing Assembly session.

"No one will be spared if found guilty. Thorough investigation will be conducted in this case. The portion which collapsed is a 43-year-old structure. There was no required support to it,” Sawant had said.

He had also said that a White Paper will be released in this matter and placed during the Assembly session. However, Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai had demanded to file a case against those responsible for the collapse of the structure.

The opposition had blamed Sawant and Art & Culture Minister Govind Gaude after a portion of the open auditorium of the renovated Kala Academy collapsed, and had sought their resignation.

It may be recalled that while defending the state government's move to nominate a contractor for the renovation work of Kala Academy without floating a tender, Gaude had said in July last year that even Shah Jahan did not invite quotations before building the Taj Mahal.

"Taj Mahal was built between 1632 and 1653. Do you know why it is still so beautiful and everlasting? Because Shah Jahan never invited quotations to build it. That is why the Taj Mahal is intact even after 400 years," Gaude had said.

The opposition had alleged that the renovation of Kala Academy involved corruption of more than Rs 50 crore.