The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the State Public Information and Broadcasting department to take corrective measures to refurbish the Kalinga Studio, now in a bad state and ensure the State's artists, who are being neglected, get their due.
The NHRC passed the order recently acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. Tripathy contended that though Odisha is the first State to declare film as an industry, but the only film studio in the State is in a bad shape due to lack of promotion by the Government.
The equipment of film production worth crores of rupees is rotting in the various units of the studio due to neglect of the authorities over the years. The cry of Odia movie stars for betterment of the studio, the only movie-making facility of the State, goes unheard of.
Spread over 25 acres, the Kalinga Studio was jointly established with Prasad labs, Chennai, in 1982 and was taken over by Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) the next year. The video unit was demolished four years ago and equipment was abandoned in the huge screening hall, which itself lies in utter neglect. The editing unit lies locked while costly machines and other infrastructure, including latest cameras, are decaying because of exposure to moisture, rust and insects. It even lacks basic amenities such as toilets, the petitioner stated.
Whatever facilities were available are in a state of ruin because of utter mismanagement. The State Vigilance department had found the irregularities in the affairs of the studio. The jungle-like growths of vegetation with lack of basic infrastructure facility force the producers to move to studios in Andhra Pradesh or elsewhere despite huge expenses, Tripathy pointed out.
Stating that the facts and circumstances of the present case is a violation of the human rights of the artists and loss to the State exchequer, Tripathy held the State Government responsible for this and urged the rights panel to ask the Government to ensure basic amenities and renovate the endangered infrastructure and instruments of the studio.
He also sought the intervention of the State Vigilance department and the Public Information and Broadcasting department to solve the problem effectively. Adjudging the case, the NHRC sought a reply within eight weeks from the authority concerned.