One
of Chennai's newest attractions is the Film City, dedicated to the
memory of the hugely popular matinee idol, MG Ramachandran. This
is now the most popular location for Chennai's flourishing Tamil
Film Industry which is second (next to Mumbai) in film production.
A fantasy world of extravagant sets and hitech equipment, film city
attracts Starstruck fans from all over Tamilnadu, who come here
to catch a glimpse of their favourite film stars.
Government decision to begin "development works'' there as
part of its efforts to make it a "knowledge park.''
A public notification
mentioning the ban has been put up in front of the main entrances.
The
closure would enable the TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industrial
Development Corporation), the nodal agency, to embark
on the project.
According
to official sources, in the area allocated for MGR Film City,
24.78 acres remain unutilised.
This area
is to be placed at TIDCO's disposal to develop the proposed project
that would support research activities in information technology,
biotechnology and telecommunications.
The Information
and Tourism Department and TIDCO will outline the specific area
for the knowledge park and ensure that proper access to the area
through the existing Film city is developed.
The Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras, has proposed to set up a project
for research in Communication and Information Technology. TIDCO
has approached several institutions to set up research facilities
in bio-technology. Such institutions can be located in this area.
TIDCO will take steps to commission the project in this financial
year.
Official sources
said the State had positioned itself well for development of areas
commonly classified as ``the knowledge sector.''
A sound technical
and educational infrastructure and the vast pool of technical
manpower available in the region were cited as the key factors
for the speedy development in the knowledge industry. The Government
was of the view that support of research activities in this field
would yield significant results for the development of the industry
in the State.
