Actor Akshay Kumar calls on UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Mumbai on Tuesday

As UP CM Set To Meet Film Industry Biggies Today, Thackeray Says No One Can Take Industries Away
Bhavika Jain & Neha Lalchandani | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; December 2, 2020)

Mumbai/Lucknow: CM Uddhav Thackeray took a veiled dig at his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, saying “no one can come to Maharashtra and take away industries from here.” Thackeray was speaking at an event organised by the IMC Chamber of Commerce.

The remarks came ahead of Yogi Adityanath’s scheduled meeting with representatives of Mumbai’s film industry on Wednesday. The UP CM flew down to Mumbai on Tuesday to attend the listing ceremony of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation bond at the Bombay Stock Exchange on Wednesday. He will also meet several industry representatives to discuss investment opportunities in UP.

To finalise the process for setting up UP’s Film City, a UP government spokesperson said, Yogi Adityanath will meet Rahul Mittra, Subhash Ghai, Boney Kapoor, Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, Jatin Sethi of Zee Studio, Anand Pandit, Baba Azmi, Neeraj Pathak, Randeep Hooda, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Jimmy Shergill, Taran Adarsh, Komal Nahta and Raj Kumar Santoshi. “He will discuss with them what facilities are required at the Film City and how could they contribute to the development,” the spokesperson said.

Thackeray said, “Maharashtra is not afraid of competition, but no one can forcibly take businesses away from the state, that will not be allowed. We are not jealous about anyone’s progress, but it has to happen through fair competition.”

Thackeray said the key words ‘Magnetic Maharashtra’ used by the state to draw investors were powerful. “Maharashtra’s culture and institutions are its strength. Some people are coming today, they will also meet you all and ask you to come to them. But the ‘magnetic’ strength of Maharashtra is so powerful that it will stop things from going from here, but it can also happen that somebody from there comes here,” Thackeray said.

Yogi Adityanath had in September announced a proposal for setting up a Film City, for which a 1,000-acre plot in Sector 21 of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has been chosen. The site is 6 km away from the proposed Jewar International Airport and an hour’s drive from Delhi. As per the preliminary plan, the area will be divided into five zones that will consist of entrance and office, shooting area and residential, theme park and outdoor location, university and studio rooms, and airport. Along with facility for shooting, it will also provide infrastructure for post-production work and have production studios.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said on Tuesday that no one can shift any industry that generates employment in the state, including the film industry. “Yogi ji may be coming here to study the Film City and facilities being provided to the industry, but nobody can take the Film City and its glamour away from Mumbai,” Patil told reporters. He said every state has the right to develop or provide some facilities to the film industry.

Thackeray said even if the pandemic is not over yet, the wheels of economy have been set in motion again in the state. He said Rs 60,000 crore of investment MoUs have been finalized this year, and work on 70% of them is underway in terms of land allotment and permissions.

(With inputs from PTI)