Challenging directors’ land allocation through public interest litigation (PIL)
Updated – Wed 23 Jul 02:02
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has completed the hearing of PIL’s challenge to the land allotment of renowned film director N. Shankar and released the case on July 7 for an order.
In 2019, the state government allocated 5 acres of land to the director in Mokila village, Rangaredy district near Hyderabad, for the establishment of a film studio. The land allocated to the directors is challenged by public interest litigation (PIL).
The petitioner questioned the allotment of land worth about Rs 5 crore per acre to the Director at Rs 5 lakh per acre.
However, the state government has defended the funding, saying it was in line with government policy. It argued to the court that allocating land to movie studios and movie personalities at a lower cost is nothing new.
The court was told that the decision to allocate the land was made after examining the veracity of the applicant, the necessity of setting up a film studio near Hyderabad and the recommendation of the National Film Development Corporation.
Arvind Kumar, the city administrative secretary, informed the court by way of counter-testimony that Shankar had allocated the land after depositing Rs 50 crore and promised to invest Rs 50 crore in building a modern studio for the production of full-length films. Complete facilities are provided. Full-fledged films and commercials depicting the journey of the new nation.
The director also promised the government that the studio will hire 1,000 film workers every day, providing direct employment for 100 people and indirect employment for 200 people.
The court also heard Shankar was a well-known director in the state with 36 years of experience in the film industry. Shankar also told the court that he did not use his popularity or local origin to acquire land from the Telangana state government.
He claims the then-undivided government of Andhra Pradesh had agreed to grant him the land in 2012, but it never happened. After hearing the statements of all parties, the court filed a summons on July 7.
