Will revive Natyagruha to its old glory: Industries minister

Kolhapur: State industries minister Uday Samant on Monday said the theatre industry has suffered a huge blow after the Keshavrao Bhosle Natyagruha was gutted in fire on Thursday.
Addressing the reporters, Samant said, “We will soon revive the theatre with the same technology that was used for making the state-of-the-art structure. There could be two reasons for the fire, a natural cause and maybe something else.It will be revealed after the inquiry and a detailed inquiry has already been ordered by chief minister Eknath Shinde.”
Lok Sabha MP Shahu Chhatrapati on Monday hosted a meeting at the govt rest house with several prominent officials in Kolhapur city to also discuss restoring the Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagruha. Member of civic action committee Baba Indulkar said, “The restoration work should not be given to KMC, because it won't get completed till the next 20 years.”
Film and TV actor Anand Kale said, “This theatre has seen Keshavrao, Balgandharv, Chandrakant, Suryakant, Bharat Jadhav and other actors emerge into celebrities. No commercial angle should be given to this theatre.”
Ajay Korane, president of architect association, said, “Instead of KMC, central govt agencies working in heritage conservation should be consulted.”
Former MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati said, “No safety protocols are currently levied by KMC to protect the existing heritage monuments. A state-of-the-art theatre and wrestling arena need to be rebuilt following all heritage norms. If this work doesn't take place properly then as a guardian minister Hasan Mushrif will be responsible for this and I will be the first to question him.”
Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik said, “A structural audit needs to be done and if required, funds from central govt can also be demanded for rebuilding Natyagruha as it is.”
MP Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati added, “What would have happened if the fire was lit during a show? This cannot be imagined. The repair work should be done so that nothing would happen to this monument in the next 130 years.”
To conclude the meeting, guardian minister Hasan Mushrif said, “CM Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar both have assured that funds won't fall short for restoring the Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagruha. We will try to make the tendering works before the model code of conduct gets imposed.”