New Delhi: The Karnataka government has given Jollywood Studios and Adventures a chance to rectify their mistake, hours after authorities sealed off the premises, for operating without obtaining necessary permissions under the Water Act and Air Act.
This also led to the shutdown of the Big Boss Kannada, set up inside the 35-acre adventure park, just 10 days after it began, on Tuesday night.
“The Jollywood Studio, where Bigg Boss is being held, has been sealed for not complying with the Pollution Control Board rules,” said Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar in a post on X. “However, private individuals have invested here, and employment is taking place, which is important. Therefore, I have instructed the officials to give it a chance to rectify the mistakes and proceed.”
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), in its order on Tuesday, said that the closure directions are under Section 31 (A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, read with Rule 20 (A) of Karnataka Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1983.
However, the action of shutting down the adventure park, located at Bidadi in the Ramanagara district on the outskirts of Bengaluru city, wasn’t sudden.
Multiple warnings and notices, according to KSPCB Chairman P M Narendra Swamy, were issued, but no one responded.
“They didn’t respond to a single query. In fact, to begin with, they had never applied for the consent to establish an amusement park in that area,” Swamy told ThePrint.
He says that the amusement park is spread across 35 acres of land, of which only 1.5 acres were dedicated to Bigg Boss Kannada, which is in its 12th season. It is being hosted by Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep.
“And, we weren’t even aware that the Bigg Boss set was inside the park. We aren’t concerned about the show. We had issued immediate closure orders for the whole space in the backdrop of non-compliance with laws and operating without permissions,” Swamy added.
Flouting pollution rules
Several environmental regulations, particularly those related to noise and air pollution, have been openly violated on the site, according to local journalist Sunil Cineloka.
Recently, Jollywood Studios and Adventures, run by Vels Studios and Entertainment Private Limited, faced allegations of discharging untreated wastewater into nearby agricultural fields. But, they refused to comment.
The issues don’t end there. Cineloka revealed that the studio lacks a proper sewage treatment system and continues to rely on large diesel generators, which contribute significantly to noise pollution in the area.
“They were in such a rush to launch the premises, they ignored key regulatory requirements,” he said.
Swamy pointed out that even after the authorities arrived and shut down the premises, no representative from Jollywood Studios and Adventures has come forward.
The studio has remained completely silent on the matter.
After the fiasco that unfolded on Tuesday, Bigg Boss Kannada contestants were escorted outside the premises. The production house relocated the Bigg Boss Kannada team to the Eagleton Resort temporarily, as inspections are underway.
At the moment, there is no official word on when Bigg Boss Kannada will resume shooting.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)