Says agreement nearing completion after modifications requested by comunidade
PANAJI
The Goa government is expected to finalise the much-awaited 99-year lease agreement with the Loliem Comunidade this month to set up the coastal State’s first film city. Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) Vice-Chairperson Delilah Lobo confirmed that the agreement is nearing completion after a few modifications requested by the comunidade.
“The lease agreement has not been signed yet but it should be done this month. We are in the final stages of the process. The delay occurred as the comunidade requested some changes, which we are incorporating. Once finalised, the document will be sent back to them for approval. Subsequently the agreement will be signed,” Lobo told The Goan.
The initiative to set up a film city was first announced in 2023, after which in October, ESG issued advertisements in local newspapers seeking 250 acres of land with clear titles for the project. The following month, after receiving a letter of interest from the Loliem Comunidade, ESG engaged Resurgent India Ltd – an investment banking firm – to provide transaction advisory services for the film city’s development.
The project has been described as a long-cherished vision of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phaldessai, during his tenure as ESG Vice-Chairman, first proposed the idea.
Although specific details of the project are yet to be revealed, comunidade members had then stated that the proposed film city at Loliem would include facilities such as pre-production and post-production studios, shooting locations, VFX and CGI studios, backlots, a film school, event venues, accommodation for crews and actors and commercial spaces.
Speaking at the inaugural of the International Film Festival of India 2023, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the filmmakers and actors that the government is committed to completing the project promptly. “The State is committed to fast-tracking procedures and ensuring the project is completed within a time-bound framework,” he was quoted as saying.
The Loliem Comunidade, a traditional governing body of local gaunkars primarily from the landed Brahmin community, approved the transfer of 250 acres on a 99-year lease for the project, which the government claimed will position Goa as a hub for the entertainment industry.
