Panaji: Goa would be taken to such heights that the Centre would find it difficult to think of any other place for holding the International Film Festival of India in future, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Panaji today (Dec 2, 2004).

He was reacting to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy's statement yesterday that Goa had not yet been finalised as the permanent venue for the Film Festival and final decision would be taken after assessing all parameters.

Parrikar said, "I do not want to contradict anything that the Minister has said. Let him think about it... but in one year, Goa has shown the world a glimpse of what is possible."

"I will take Goa so far that it will be impossible for him to think of any other place. Next year will be much better. People have already told me that we have done reasonably well this year," Parrikar said at a seminar on the Indian entertainment industry organised by CII (Confederation of Indian Industry).

"When I set out to take up this challenge of organising the film festival, I had no experience of films, but we managed to complete the job in eight months. The film industry too must take the same lesson," he added.

Regretting that India as a nation had forgotten its strengths, Parrikar said, "We must not forget that we are one in every six people in the world. We have to learn to organise ourselves and we shall be a huge power."

Congratulating the Chief Minister for organising the festival, noted film director Ashok Amritraj said, "Goa is such a beautiful place and is the ideal location to watch films. We have been made to feel at home."