Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board shutting down the studio hosting Kannada Big Boss reality show, which is housed inside an amusement park at Bidadi in the Bengaluru outskirts has raked up a politician controversy.
While the opposition BJP and JD(S) have targeted the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of 'witch hunting' Kannada actor Sudeep. Sudeep is anchor of Big Boss Kannada reality show.
In March, during the inauguration of the Bengaluru International Film Festival, D K Shivakumar and Sudeep had a social media tiff. When most of the leading Kannada actors did not confirm their participation, stating that they were busy in shooting. Shivakumar publicly expressed his displeasure over non cooperation of the film personalities, despite the government's efforts to boost film activities in the State.
Reacting to Shivakumar's displeasure, Sudeep took a swipe at him over the social media. Miffed by his reaction, during inauguration of the Film Festival, D K Shivakumar said that the government can `tighten the nuts and bolts' by refusing shooting permission.The episode ended there.
However, after multiple notices, the KSPCB decided to shut down the Jolly Wood amusement park, where the Big Boss show shooting was going on. On Tuesday evening, the Ramanagar District administration sealed the amusement park and sent all the participants out of the studio. The participants were shifted to nearby Eagleton Resorts.
Soon after the closure of the amusement park, Union Minister and JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy took to the social media, stating that 'the nut and bolt tightening minister' was behind closure of the studio to take revenge on the actor.
The BJP also jumped into the blame game saying that it was an assault on actor Sudeep. Opposition leader in the Legislative Council Narayanaswamy said that the minister was not just attacking the entertainment industry, but also attacking the community Sudeep belonged to.Sudeep belonged to Valmiki community, which is a scheduled tribe.
Meanwhile, Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre rushed to the support of D K Shivakumar and said that the Deputy Chief Minister had no role in it, as it was an administrative step taken by the Pollution Control Board.
``Even I did not know till it came in the media. The Pollution Control Board has been issuing notices to the amusement park and they did not respond for the last two years. Let them go to court and obtain appropriate orders to reopen their establishment,'' he said.
On the other hand, D K Shivakumar said that he did not nurse any grudge over any individuals. ``I had inaugurated the amusement park, as it falls in my home district. Why should I get it closed down? If there are violations, the district administration has been instructed to give them some time and allow them to continue the shooting,'' he said.
Meanwhile, the Jolly Wood Studio and Entertainment as well as Big Boss show organisers approached the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday. At the same time, they also pleaded before the Ramanagar DC for giving them some time. The Ramanagar DC agreed to give 10 days conditional permit, if the amusement park rectified their STP plant. The DC also asked them to obtain permission from the Pollution Control Board.
However, the Pollution Control Board asked both of them to submit a sworn affidavit, as the amusement park failed to either react or to initiate pollution control measures for the last two years. The amusement park withdrew its application filed in the Karnataka High Court and is in the process of submitting the sworn application.
The Big Boss show was being conducted at a studio within the premises of Jolly Wood Studios and Entertainment, located in the Bidadi Industrial area, Ramanagar taluk. For the last two years, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board had been issuing notices to the amusement park for discharging untreated water to Vrishabhavathi river.
The amusement park has a 250 KLT Sewerage Treatment Plant, which has never been used. About 2.5 lakh liters of sewage generated is being directly discharged to the river, which is flowing behind the studio.
