By IANS,
Panaji : The union information and broadcasting ministry has allotted Rs.15 crore to Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s Margao constituency for constructing two cinema halls, which will also screen films during subsequent editions of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Goa chief secretary Sanjiv Srivastva told reporters here Friday that a 5,000-seat convention centre was also being constructed in Goa, the official host of the IFFI annually since 2003.
“We will be given the grant of Rs.15 crore for building cinema halls in Margao,” Srivastava said.
“The facility (convention centre) can later be provided for the national children’s film festival and other such festivals. It will give Goa a film culture and help cinema grow as an industry in the state,” Srivastava told reporters during an open forum session with delegates during the festival.
Margao hosted the IFFI inauguration ceremony for the first time this year on the recommendation of Kamat, who has faced a lot of criticism for his insistence on shifting the IFFI inauguration to his home constituency, with elections around the corner.
The inauguration ceremony on Wednesday was marked by chaos with foreign delegates left standing during the ceremony – during which the chief guest Shahrukh Khan arrived 40 minutes late – with the seats being taken by local Margao residents.