Mumbai: The BMC's plan to renovate the heritage premises of the Grand Road's Gildertank school and building before designating it for film and OTT shootings, has been halted due complaints by local residents', civic officials say. Last year, the BMC had identified several civic-owned properties which to be designated as film shoot locations, which was a part of a larger effort to streamline the filming permission process and position Mumbai as a competitive destination for content creators.
Renovation details
"A plan of Rs 7.5 crore to revamp the heritage building, make a green house near the ground, a stage etc was prepared last year. However, the residents of a nearby building keep complaining to the police everytime shooting takes place. This has hampered our plan. We expect the proposal is taken up to the commissioner and education committee chairman soon," said an official from BMC's education department.
The Gildertank school has been shut down more than 25 years ago, however, the building is used for several civic education department office. "As per a 2015 notification, the school is given for shootings. We earn around Rs 5 lakh per year," an official said.
Earnings from shoots
Rejecting all allegations done by local residents on noise pollution, the official said, "It is only one resident who keeps complaining, and raises issues on social media that they get disturbed everyday. We refuse all allegations as shooting takes place one or two a month and only from 8 am to 8 pm."
The original size of the Gildertank school ground is around 4800 sqm, of which major portion is given to MMRCL for Grant road metro station. However, despite the station now operational, MMRCL is yet to handover the ground to the BMC education department.
Notably, the ground is the only open space in the locality for kids to play. It was around 2016 the ground partially was handed over to MMRCL and now has been layered with small stones for the benefit of trucks carrying shoot materials, further stopping the local children to use the public ground.
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