CANACONA
The decision of residents to unanimously reject the Film City proposed at Bhagwati Plateau in Loliem-Polem is a major blow at various levels, right from the panchayat to the government.
This is also the second time that residents have rejected attempts to develop the Bhagwati plateau, after they had previously opposed the IIT project and had adopted a resolution at a Gram Sabha in November 2016 to oppose any non-traditional development in the village.
The Gram Sabha decision is a major snub to Loliem Comunidade which had unanimously agreed on October 15 to part with its land for the Film City and to submit its proposal to the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) in this regard.
As soon as the Loliem Comunidade had offered 10.5 lakh square metres of its land at Bhagwati plateau to set up a Film City project, the ESG, which plans to set up a 200-acre film city, had shown unusual alacrity in pursuing the project and moved at lightning speed to initiate the process of choosing a consultant to provide advisory services for it.
The ESG set in motion the process for it to appoint the consultant for Transaction Advisory Services to develop the infrastructure for the Film City on the 250-acre land which the Loliem Comunidade had agreed to provide.
Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar had also publicly welcomed the proposed Film City in Loliem village, on the grounds that the project would bring development to the village and would provide jobs to thousands of locals. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant during his speech at the inaugural ceremony at the IFFI had announced that the Film City would be set up in Goa under ESG to make Goa a Film Hub, hinting that the Film City would be set up in Loliem-Polem.
The controversy over the Film City at Loliem even had a political fallout in the village, when then Loliem-Polem Sarpanch Pratiza Bandekar, in a sudden and surprise move, resigned on October 18, barely three days after the Loliem Comunidade had resolved to hand over the Film City to the ESG. Her resignation was widely seen as being linked to plans to set up the Film City in the village.
“The green signal by the Loliem Comunidade and its proposal to ESG to set up a ‘Film City’ at the eco-sensitive Bhagwati Plateau turned out to be the turning point for Bandekar,” said a source. “Many panch members were earlier not in favour of the IIT project and had even been instrumental in passing a resolution at the Gram Sabha not to allow any development on the Bhagwati Plateau. They are now suddenly favouring a ‘Film City’, and began to pressurise the sarpanch.”
“While the sarpanch, some panch members and villagers are not in favour of permitting any development on Bhagwati plateau, Bandekar reportedly decided to resign as sarpanch, rather than be a party to favour the ‘Film City’ in the village against people’s wishes,” the source added.
Sarpanch wants a larger consensus to decide on the issue
Stating that the resolution passed unanimously at the Lolim-Polem Gram Sabha would be forwarded to the concerned departments, Lolim-Polem sarpanch Nisha Chari appeared dissatisfied with the resolutions and hinted that a ‘Special Gram Sabha’ with a larger participation of residents would be convened to discuss and decided on the Film City.
When media persons contacted Chari after the Gram Sabha for her comments on the unanimous resolution to reject the Film City in the village, Chari first stated that since no proposal was officially sent to the panchayat, she could not comment on the issue. “But still, the resolution of today’s Gram Sabha will be forwarded to the departments concerned,” said Chari.
The sarpanch then hinted that the verdict of residents at the Gram Sabha would be revisited in the near future. When pointed out that there were over 200 signatories at the Gram Sabha, Chari replied: “We do not have only 200 people in Loliem, but there are more than 200 people in Loliem. We cannot consider the opinion of only 200 people.”
“The day we receive anything official on the Film City issue, we will convene a special Gram Sabha, and we will call all people and seek their opinion and decide accordingly.”
To another query, Chari insisted there is no political pressure that Film City should be set up only in Loliem. “There is no such political pressure nor is there any pressure from the local people that the Film City should be set up in Loliem only,” said Chari.
