Prakash Kamat
Panaji, November 20-The nine-day 50th edition of International Film Festival.of India(IFFI),jointly organised by the Union Directorate of Film Festivals under Ministry of Information& Broadcasting and the Goa government's Entertainment Society of Goa got underway near Panaji on Wednesday.
Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry is in the process of formulating a single window system to ease processing of film shooting permissions and clearances, Central Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.
He described cinema as India's soft power, along with fields of Information Technology and music I his address at the inaugural of the film festival.
"India has such scenic locations, sites, but for shoots, one has to take 15 - 20 permissions. We are starting a single window system for (permission) for shootings. Goa, Leh Ladkah and Andaman and Nicobar will also benefit," he said.
Stating that Indian films are popular across the world, Mr. Javadekar said,"Wherever I go, there are Indian film aficionados, even in China. There is no limitation of language. It is art and performance which touches peoples' hearts. We have to further India's soft power."
Javadekar heckled during speech:
Minister Javadekar who is also Minister for Environment and Forest was heckled by sloganeering protestors during the inaugural session of the 50th edition of the IFFI on Wednesday, who accused him of betraying Goa's interest in the ongoing tussle between Karnataka over sharing of water of the Mhadei river.
Police detained three slogan-shouting youth.
Earlier,hundreds of party workers from the Congress, Goa Forward and activists of NGOs also staged a protest outside the IFFI campus in Panaji on Wednesday, protesting Javadekar's refusal to withdraw his Ministry's permission to Karnataka's controversial Kalasa-Banduri project, aimed at diverting water from the Mhadei river.
Several party workers of the Congress, Goa Forward party, who were part of the protesting group, were arrested.
The protestors demonstrated outside Inox multiplex complex in the city,where the festivals' films are scheduled to be screened, also held placards saying "Go Back Javadekar".
"Javadekar has betrayed Goa and has caused great injustice to it people by giving a green nod to the Kalasa-Banduri project illegally," Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said.
On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat had said that Javadekar should abstain from attending the inaugural session of the IFFI on Wednesday, because he had failed the people of Goa, vis a vis its water dispute with Karnataka.
“Javadekar should avoid coming to the inaugural function of the 50th edition of the International Film Festival of India, because he has caused huge injustice to the people of Goa by not withdrawing his Ministry’s letter allowing Karnataka to go ahead with the Kalasa-Banduri dam project,” had said.
On Tuesday, Javadekar turned down Goa government’s request for withdrawal of the MoEF’s letter issued last month giving the Karnataka government a go-ahead for the Rs. 841 crore Kalasa-Banduri project, which aims to divert water from the Mhadei river to the water deficit basin of the Malaprabha river. Karnataka has claimed the project as for drinking water purposes.
The Mhadei river originates in Karnataka and flows down to Goa where it meets the Arabian sea near Panaji.
An inter-state water disputes tribunal, set up by the Central government, after hearing the over two-decade-old Mhadei river water sharing dispute among Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, in August 2018 allotted 13.42 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) to Karnataka
The feelings on the issue continue to be very strong in Goa as the people of the State consider Mhadei which turns Mandovi once it enters Goa and flows maximum length in the tiny coastal State as "State's lifeline."(eom)
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