After the Chandigarh administration scrapped the much-publicised Rs 191-crore multimedia-cum-film city project, the Punjab government has decided to open its doors for the same.
The Parsvnath Group had tied up with noted filmmaker Satish Kaushik in 2006 to set up the Chandigarh Film City on a 99-year lease.
The project, which was to come up on a 30-acre site at Sarangpur, Chandigarh, intended to provide one-stop destination for film production and post-production activities. However, it was shelved amidst allegations that the ?land for the project had been given away at an abysmally low price? and Parsvnath demanding termination of ties accusing Chandigarh administration of not providing them an ?encumbrance free? possession of the land.
Sources said that the Punjab government gave green signal for project at a meeting called by the deputy chief minister last week. ?Deputy chief ministerSukhbir Singh Badal has issued instructions to the principal secretary tourism and culture, Geetika Kalha, to put up the conceptual plan for the proposed film city,? they said.
According to the sources, the Punjab government had initially considered Rupnagar for the proposed film city in view of its scenic beauty, but Mohali which has better infrastructure and in close proximity to the state capital scored over Rupnagar. A film and television institute on the lines of National Film and TV Institute, Pune, will also be set up as an integral part of the Punjab Film City, Mohali.
It is learnt that film producers who had shown interest in Chandigarh Film City have approached the Punjab government, too. Yash Chopra, film producer and chairman of Chandigarh Film Advisory Committee, and Dharmendra, producer and noted actor, among many others have also shown interest. Anupam Kher and Jaspal Bhatti, too, have acting schools in the state.