Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar on Wednesday said the State’s first Film City is being established in Mysuru, hinting that the project is not being shifted from the city as rumoured since last year.
The Minister’s statement has perhaps brought cheer to the stakeholders of the tourism sector who had been carrying out campaigns for retaining the project in Mysuru ever since reports of its relocation to Bengaluru surfaced.
Mr. Somashekar has thanked Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for taking the decision of keeping the project in Mysuru. “On behalf of the people of Mysuru and myself, I am thanking you for giving directions for establishing the Film City (as earlier planned) in Mysuru,” the Minister said, in a statement here.
The Minister said he had met the Chief Minister on March 3 and submitted a memorandum for establishing the project in Mysuru considering its importance as a tourist city and also being one of the popular destinations for film shootings since many decades.
In a statement released to the press on Wednesday, Mr. Somashekar said the Minister for Information and Public Relations C.C. Patil announced in the Council on Wednesday that the Film City would be established in Mysuru where the land to the extent of 100 acres had been identified at Himmavu for the purpose.
“The Minister (Mr. Patil) has said that the documents related to the project will be sent to the Chief Minister for approval,” said Mr. Somashekar, putting to rest uncertainties over the project after the Chief Minister had announced a Film City in Bengaluru in his previous budget.
Mr. Somashekar said Mysuru is known for its culture and has immense heritage value being a royal city. Now, it has also earned recognition as one of the cleanest cities. About 50 lakh tourists visit Mysuru annually, making it one of the preferred destinations in the country. “Taking all these factors into consideration and considering its strengths, it is ideal to have the project in Mysuru,” he suggested.
The decision would boost tourism development and bring delight to the stakeholders who were upset over not getting anything in this year’s State budget for tourism development keeping Mysuru in focus. They had kept high hopes on Mr. Yediyurappa’s budget especially in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic which badly affected the tourism sector.
The confusion over the fate of the Film City project in Mysuru had worried the stakeholders who had opposed its shifting to Bengaluru. When Mr. Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister, he had announced the project and set aside 100 acres of land at Himmavu in Varuna constituency.
The tourism industry had sought clarity on the project since the government is neither developing the Film City in Mysuru nor the project in Bengaluru. The stakeholders wanted the Film City to be retained in Mysuru as this will give more tonic to the tourism sector.
The stakeholders also wanted that the budget announcements should not remain on paper and the government should implement them the same year of announcement.
