The state government has begun preparing to develop Guhagar taluka in Ratnagiri district, rich in natural beauty, as a new hub for films and tourism. Culture Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has directly instructed that a detailed proposal for a 'film tourism' project be submitted within one month. The project is to be set up on government land at Palshet in Guhagar, in joint partnership with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
For the financial planning of the project, he asked officials to explore options under the 'Film Tourism Policy' and, if needed, take help from MHADA.
A special meeting on the subject was held in Shelar's chamber at Mantralaya. Shelar chaired the meeting, which discussed in detail how government land in Guhagar and the nearby coastline could be put to good use for filmmaking and tourism.
125 acres for international-standard infrastructure The tourism department has about 125 acres of government land at Mauje Palshet in Guhagar taluka. Former MLA Dr Vinay Natu had proposed to the government that modern infrastructure be built on this land to support filmmaking and tourism. He pointed out that a 'mini film city' or film hub in Konkan could create large-scale direct and indirect jobs for local youth.
A single window and integrated facilities are needed The beaches, coconut and areca orchards and historic sites of Guhagar and Dapoli are popular for shooting Marathi and Hindi films, serials and web series. But filmmakers face many hurdles, including getting various government permissions, accommodation for technicians, technical equipment and studio facilities. In this backdrop:
Develop government land at Palshet, Velneshwar and Tavsal.
Build a modern shooting complex on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Provide all essential shooting facilities under one roof.
Orders to submit a plan within a month After weighing all these points, Shelar directed that the ambitious project be planned in cooperation with MTDC. To raise funds, he asked the administration to coordinate various government schemes and submit a detailed development plan (DPR) for the project within a month.
Former MLA Dr Vinay Natu attended the meeting through video conferencing. Dr Kiran Kulkarni, Secretary of the Cultural Affairs Department; Swati Mhase-Patil, Managing Director of the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari; Sanjeev Jaiswal, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MHADA; senior MTDC officers and representatives of other concerned departments were present in person.