Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday proposed a film city be built at the Roerich and Devika Rani Roerich Estate near Kanakapura Road.
The proposal was announced during his speech at the Founder's Day celebration organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), as per the Times of India.
The estate is spread over 468 acres, a part of which is maintained by the Forest Department. The proposal is still in its early stages and is yet to be tabled before the Forest Department.
The proposed idea of building a film city in the estate was criticised by environmentalists who pointed out that the area is an elephant corridor between Bannerghatta and Savandurga.
Elephants, moving from Bannerghatta to Savandurga, have been spotted in the estate land camping for a day or two due to the availability of water. Leopards, peacocks, and barking deers have also been spotted in the area.
“People have also sighted wild animals in the area. Any intrusion will harm them. The estate is one of the rich natural habitats left on the outskirts of the city,” said a Forest Department official speaking to The Hindu.
Activists say that the proposal to build the film city will harm the biodiversity of the area, where several developmental projects have come up over the years.
The estate gets its name from Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich, a Russian painter from the early 20th century, who settled in India. He was the son of Russian painter and archaeologist Nikolai Roerich and was a noted painter himself. His portraits of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi can be seen at the central hall of the Indian Parliament even today.
He married noted Indian actor Devika Rani and the duo stayed in a colonial house off Kanakapura Road. Both passed away leaving the estate without an heir. The Karnataka government won a legal battle to take control of the estate. An earlier plan to build a museum in the estate land was dropped.