The locals of Loliem have strongly opposed the government’s multipurpose Film City project. The announcement of the film city project by chief minister Pramod Sawant, was soon reflected in the Loliem panchayat’s gram sabha. In actuality, this topic was not on the gram sabha’s agenda but people demanded that the sarpanch take it up for the discussion. The sarpanch then allowed the matter to be discussed.
Last month, Loliem Comunidade had decided to give 250 acres of its land for the Film City project which means it was pre-decided by the government. However, the sarpanch indicated that the issue is not required to be discussed immediately since the governing bodies had not officially written to the panchayat. Alas, the sarpanch had to give in to the locals’ strong demand and he had to take up the issue for discussion. A resolution opposing the project was also passed during the meeting which sarpanch said will be sent to the officials concerned. While speaking to the reporter, the sarpanch also stated that a special gram sabha will be convened once again when the panchayat receives an official proposal. Considering the overall tone of the discussion, it seems that the gram sabha passed a resolution a tad bit too soon. Because if the panchayat did not even receive the proposal then how can they hold a discussion on it? It would have been smarter to wait for the proposal to arrive and then oppose it if they found something unnecessary in it.
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The question is what exactly is the panchayat when there is no sufficient information available. In recent times, any project in any village is first greeted with opposition which is not right. It is surprising that a premier organisation like IIT cannot find land in Goa. It was opposed in Valpoi and Sanguem initially. Other shortlisted places did not work out either. Now, the government has finalised another space in Sanguem which is also being opposed by locals. These projects are non polluting and so, it does not make sense to oppose them. Peoples’ defiance may be right from their point of view but citizens will have to think about Goa’s overall need in the long run. Otherwise, it would be incredibly difficult for any big project to come to Goa. Of course, if there is any opposition from people then the government should first understand their problems and then go ahead with the projects. The film city project is not polluting either. The panchayats should also first possess enough information about anything before blindly opposing them. However, people lately have grown extremely apprehensive about anything initiated by the government and the government itself is responsible for creating such a distrustful reputation.
People’s experience with the government has not been reliable and the ruling faction must create that credibility. People have been opposing the smallest of things which is not a good sign. IFFI in some way has helped in the film culture taking root in the State. Many big hit films were shot in Goa including first three films of ‘Golmaal’ franchise, which were entirely shot in the State. If a Film City is built in Goa, it would help in increasing the State’s revenue and also push for the development of the area where it will be located. Therefore, this could prove to be an ambitious project for the State. Ramoji Film City located in Hyderabad is not only highly preferred by the film producers but has also become a popular tourism destination which attracts millions of visitors every year. One would hope for Goa to have a similar fortune but the questions raised by Loliem locals also deserve to be given a thought.
Their biggest objection is that the proposed land for the project is an eco-sensitive plateau which should not be harmed as it may lead to water crisis in the area. As per the locals this plateau is crucial for water security and replenishment of aquifers. They also drew attention towards waste created during the film shooting. Apart from eco-sensitive zone, the other issues could be discussed and the government must make efforts in this direction. The government, just like any other projects, should not impose projects on people just because they can. These projects will have to be taken forward with locals’ approval.
