The Film City authorities in Bombay are looking to reclaim their land which has been encroached upon by tribals, with a view to building state-of-the-art facilities for film producers. This is to dissuade producers from setting their eyes on other states which are offering them sops to shoot there. Anyway, this move of the Film City officials has led to the resident tribal (Adivasi) families revolting as they have had cultivation rights for generations.
The state tribal department has written to Avinash Dhakne, managing director of Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, that Adivasi families residing in Film City are being ill-treated and harassed by authorities of the Corporation. On its part, Film City has denied harassment. It has demanded that the suburban collector confirm that the complainants are indeed tribals, settle their rights and inform the Corporation accordingly.
The project officer, who investigated the complaint, submitted a report in July this year, stating that prima facie there was truth in the complaints. On its part, the Film City authorities pointed out that residents of Habalepada and Nagamodi have carried out large-scale encroachments on the Corporation’s land, and built studios and godowns. The tribals have also been accused by Dhakne of extorting money from studios and carrying out cultivation of vegetables and rice on the Corporation’s land.