Canacona: With
Vishwajeet Varik
back as the Loliem-Polem comunidade president and the return of attorney
Bhushan Prabhugaonkar
(the former sarpanch of the village), the proposed Film City project on Bhagwati plateau appears to be getting support from Goa govt. With govt throwing its weight behind the local MLA, much unhappiness has sprung up among locals.
Govt is expected to finalise the much-awaited 99-year lease agreement with the Loliem comunidade this month to set up the coastal state’s first Film City, confirmed the comunidade authority.
Moreover,
Entertainment Society of Goa
(ESG) vice-chairperson Delilah Lobo said that the agreement is nearing completion.
Local MLA Ramesh Tawadkar has been making statements off and on that the Film City is on its way to Loliem-Polem, which would not only boost infrastructural development but also generate jobs for the area’s constituents.
A source said that a delay occurred in finalising the agreement as the comunidade requested some changes, which we are being incorporated. The re-drafted document will be sent back for approval and subsequently, the agreement will be signed.
Loliem-Polem panchayat sarpanch Nisha Chari, however, said that so far the panchayat has not received any communication from the authorities concerned.
The initiative to set up a Film City was first announced in 2023, after which last Oct, ESG issued advertisements in local newspapers seeking 250 acres of land with clear titles for the project.
Setting aside the strong opposition raised by locals and green activists, the following month, after receiving a letter of interest from the Loliem-Polem comunidade, ESG engaged Resurgent India Ltd — an investment banking firm — to provide transaction advisory services for the Film City’s development.
Although specific details of the project are yet to be revealed, comunidade members had then stated that the proposed Film City would include facilities such as pre-production and post-production studios, shooting locations, VFX and CGI studios, backlots, a film school, event venues, accommodation for crews and actors, and commercial spaces.
English (US) ·