Film shooting in tiger reserve: State’s administrative centre has shifted from Vidhana Soudha to Wayanad, says R. Ashok

The Himavad Gopalaswamy Hills come under Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Taking exception to the Karnataka government allowing shooting of a Malayalam film in the Himavad Gopalaswamy Hills that come under Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok remarked that Karnataka’s administrative centre has “shifted from Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to Wayanad”, which is represented by Priyanka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.

In a release here, Mr. Ashok pointed out that the local Assistant Conservator of Forests had made it clear that permission to shoot the film in the area had not been given by local officials and had been obtained at the government level. “The government should clarify who gave such an approval at the government level and who is behind it,” he demanded.

Pointing out that the State Forest Department had earlier given compensation to the family of the victim of elephant attack in Wayanad following a letter in this regard by the then Wayanad MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Ashok wanted to know if there was any similar instruction from the Congress high command now to allow film shooting.

R. Ashok
| Photo Credit:
File Photo

Run out of funds

Mr. Ashok alleged that corruption had reached menacing proportions in the government and added that the government had run out of funds to take up any development works. Such a situation had triggered anguish among people against the government, forcing the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues from touring the State as they were not confident of facing the people.

Mr. Ashok alleged that the power tussle within the Congress and the government had resulted in the Chief Minister losing his grip over administration.