Some of the biggest names in Bengali films came together on Tuesday to allege that a technicians’ federation owing allegiance to an influential Trinamool Congress leader was “ruining” their work environment and threatening the future of the industry by imposing its diktats.

Deciding the crew size for a shoot, imposing curbs on productions from outside Bengal, declaring holidays at hours’ notice and unilaterally “banning” people, the federation has been acting as a regulatory body without any such authority, they alleged at a news conference.

The high-handedness is making shooting in Bengal more expensive by the day and thus unviable, said a panel of speakers that included actor-directors Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Anirban Bhattacharya and directors Sudeshna Roy, Indranil Roychowdhury and Subrata Sen. They pointed to “dwindling” investment from outside the state.

The Directors Association of Eastern India, of which the speakers are members, is set to move the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against the allegedly illegal practices of the federation.

They launched the broadside a day before the inauguration of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which the administration showcases as a celebration of the celluloid in Bengal.

The allegations against the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI), headed by Swarup Biswas, brother of minister Aroop Biswas, are not new. A stand-off between the federation and the Directors Association of Eastern India had in July led to an impasse that crippled shooting in the studios for days.

The federation represents 26 associations or guilds — made up of persons who are part of a shoot, from directors to people in charge of lights. Technically, the directors’ guild is also part of the federation.

An intervention by chief minister Mamata Banerjee broke the July impasse. She had announced a committee — chaired by veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose and including actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev and ministers Indranil Sen and Aroop Biswas — that was supposed to submit a report and formulate a set of standard operating procedures for shooting films, serials, OTT films, ad films and the likes in three months.

On Tuesday, the directors’ guild said the panel had not been notified yet. The deadline lapsed in October but the panel had not moved an inch, they said.

“This is not a directors-versus-technicians grudge match. We are fighting for the sake of the entire industry. We are moving towards the edge of a precipice,” said Anirban Bhattacharya.

The members of the directors’ guild read out a set of 15 problems that they said were plaguing the industry.

“Filmmakers cannot work with people of their choice. The number of people to be hired for a shoot is decided by the federation. The federation conducts aptitude tests for people who have graduated from government institutes,” said Parambrata Chattopadhyay.

“The federation is a trade union. Trade unions are important. They can negotiate wage rates and working hours. But they cannot make laws,” he said.

Kaushik Ganguly said work was shrinking alarmingly because of the federation. “The budget is skyrocketing. Producers are wary. A single day’s shoot cost ₹1.5 lakh earlier. Now it costs ₹5 lakh. People have stopped coming to Bengal to shoot. Last year, 134 Bengali films were made here. This year, the number is 37. The number of serials has gone down from 40-plus to 22 or 23. On the other hand, neighbouring states like Odisha and Jharkhand are welcoming people with open arms,” he said.

The directors’ guild said it was set to move the CCI, India’s competition watchdog, against the allegedly unfair practices of the federation “very soon”.

“We have prepared a comprehensive dossier. The case will be filed in a couple of days,” said Subrata Sen, president of the directors’ guild.

Asked if there was a chance of negotiation, Indranil Roychowdhury said the decision to approach the CCI was “irreversible”.

Sudeshna Roy, the secretary of the directors’ guild, said the association had written three letters to the committee announced by the chief minister. But to no avail.

“There is a lack of seriousness. The issue is not getting the attention it deserves,” said Parambrata.

Swarup Biswas, president of the federation, told The Telegraph: “I came to know about the decision of the directors’ guild (to approach the CCI) from you. We will do a detailed analysis of the situation before deciding on the course of action.”