Bengaluru:  Raising his voice against the moves to shift the proposed Film City out of Mysuru, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has warned the Government of launching a severe agitation if the Government went ahead with its plans.

Responding to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s statement that the Film City will be shifted from Ramanagara to Devikarani-Roerich Estate in Bengaluru, Siddharamaiah said that the Yediyurappa Government’s decision to establish the Film City at Devikarani-Roerich Estate on Kanakapura Road in Bengaluru was not correct.

Pointing out that in the first instance, the decision of the previous Coalition Government to establish the Film City at Ramanagara was wrong, Siddharamaiah maintained that the proposed Film City should not be moved out of Mysuru for any reason. Also, most of the artistes want the Film City to be in Mysuru, he added. Noting that most of the top actors are from Mysuru, Siddharamaiah said the Congress Government headed by him had allotted 110 acres of land at Immavu in Varuna Constituency near Mysuru and also announced Rs.25 crore grant for the Film City. Following the Government sanction, works on the project have already begun and now it is not right to shift the project to some other place.

Insisting that the Film City must come up in Mysuru, the former CM warned of launching an agitation if the Government goes ahead with its plans to establish the Film City at Bengaluru by ditching Mysuru.

Continuing, Siddharamaiah said the Congress Government, as per the wishes of top actors like late Vishnuvardhan and late Ambarish, had announced Film City for Mysuru. But the present BJP Government has planned to establish the same at Bengaluru, he said and added that intellectuals and environmentalists have severely opposed setting up of the Film City at Devikarani-Roerich Estate.