Assuring that the AP government is committed to the development of the film industry in the state, Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh appealed to the film luminaries to focus on the construction of studios instead of just shooting and leaving and taking income.
Speaking in the assembly on the film industry in Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu said that the government had previously allocated lands for the construction of studios for the development of the film industry. In that order, he revealed that the government had allocated 35 acres of land for the construction of a studio for famous producer Ramanaidu.
However, he deplored that attempts were made to sell some of the land by making layouts instead of using it for the studio, and he had stopped the layout sales through legal action. Referring to this issue recently, he demanded that the lands previously given to RamaNaidu Studio be taken back.
MLA Ramakrishna Babu requested the government to take back that land as the land taken from the government cannot be used for the studio. Minister Durgesh said that in the past, 34.44 acres of land were allocated for Ramanaidu Studio, and a part of it was laid out in 15 acres and used for other purposes. The government that gave it is different. The government that saw it being used for other purposes is different, the minister said.
He said that he thinks that the film industry should be developed in AP more than what happened in the past during his government. He said that there is no proposal to bring the film industry to Visakhapatnam as of now. He said that plans will be made by talking to film producers and celebrities.
The minister said that there are many locations for making films in AP. Speaking on the same occasion in the Legislative Council, YSRCP MLC Botsa Sathyanarayana said that land allocations were made during the previous governments in Visakhapatnam. They don’t want to discuss it now, but those who have taken the land there should work to establish studios. He asked that efforts be made to continue immediately, not in the future.