Documentary-cum-drone shoot had special permission from Energy Minister
Mysore/Mysuru: At a time when the resplendent illumination of Mysuru is switched off at 10 pm daily, serial lights fully glowed on Sayyaji Rao Road and D. Devaraj Urs Road in the wee hours of today (between 1 am and 2 am) and a drone shooting was held by a private team. The team had come specially from Bengaluru in a couple of vehicles.
But the secret shooting caught the public attention this morning when the photos and videos of the scenes went viral on social media. The videos and photos showed a sort of a photo shoot involving the family members or friends of a high-ranking officer or a political leader and questions were raised.
Netizens questioned the unearthly-hour illumination as to who gave the permission to switch on the lights in the wee hours. In the video, visuals of flower vendors coming to Mysuru from various villages to sell flowers on Sayyaji Rao Road are clearly seen. Normally, these vendors come to the city after 2 am so that they can sell fresh flowers for Ayudha Puja (Oct. 14).
Shooting with a drone requires special permission and as the videos and photos went viral, the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) issued a clarification that the photo shoot was ordered by none other than Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar to ‘capture the beauty of Mysuru’ in a documentary.
Clarifying this, CESC Executive Engineer Nagesh said that the photo shoot was held beyond midnight as the streets are deserted. “We are seeing unusual rush on city roads from 6.30 pm till 10 pm and beyond and as such, a documentary cannot be shot. We chose the wee hours for this reason,” he clarified.
When asked about usage of drone, Nagesh said the City Police Commissioner had permitted the use of drones. “We have all permissions in place and there was no violation,” he added.
This post was published on October 13, 2021 6:41 pm