YCP’s Double-Game With Vizag Filmnagar Club?

Ever since the AP government decided to make Vizag as the Executive Capital of the state, many YCP leaders shifted their base to the beach city. There have been many reports and allegation from opposition on YCP leaders’ encroaching valuable lands and now they have reportedly set their eyes on Vizag Filmnagar Cultural Centre i.e, Film Club.

According to a leading news channel, YCP leaders are about to take over the Filmnagar Club which has big chunk of money worth Rs 30 crore. Apparently these attempts began a year back with scrapping off core committee and forming a new one with members in favour of the ruling YCP. Gopinath Reddy, AP Maritime Chairman Kayala Venkat Reddy and AU VC Prasad Reddy are the core committee members and it was headed by producer KS Rama Rao.

But all of a sudden KS Rama Rao who is also head of the Filmnagar Club was removed from his role and Sage Durga Prasad, who was the protocol officer for YSR, was made the chairman of Filmnagar Club. On 13th of this month, the core committee members tried to give lifetime membership for people who were their close aides. This decision turned controversial and it was opposed by a majority of club members.

With YCP’s men at the helm of the Filmnagar Club, the membership fee was hiked and through other means, the revenue went up from Rs 10 to Rs 30 crore. Recently the Club also received a bar license and every day it reports 60 to 80 footfalls and during the weekends it is double.

Sensing the wrongdoing of the club’s core committee, members of the Filmnagar Club demanded details of the membership and the funds gathered and its expenditure. The members are of the opinion that only film folks should run the club and people with political background can only be members.

The previous TDP government allotted 5 acres of land for Vizag Filmnagar Cultural Centre at Thimmapuram. But the land registration got delayed and in this meantime, TDP was dethroned from the government. Taking advantage of this situation, the YCP laid conditions before the Filmnagar Club to include their people in the association to get the registration done.

In another unexpected turn, the YCP government was reluctant to give the land for Filmnagar Club but proposed to give 15 acres at Bhogapuram near the airport which is 50 kilometres far from the city. This proposal was not well received by the Filmnagar Club members and they declined the government’s offer.

Grabbing Filmnagar club with power and then reluctant to allot land, YCP is playing a double game and is creating unwanted troubles.