T'gana: Owners to urge state govt to permit reopening film theatres

The Telangana Exhibitors Association (theatre owners) on Saturday urged the state government to allow them to reopen cinema theatres with the Centre permitting it from October 15 in its recent guidelines and also sought some relief in view of the losses incurred during the last seven months.

The Telangana Exhibitors Association (theatre owners) on Saturday urged the state government to allow them to reopen cinema theatres with the Centre permitting it from October 15 in its recent guidelines and also sought some relief in view of the losses incurred during the last seven months. The Association's representatives would soon meet state Cinematography Minister T Srinivas Yadav to request him to permit re-opening of the theatres (single screen) from October 15, Association leader Vijayender Reddy told P T I.

The Association is hopeful of a positive response, he said. The theatres have remained closed since March 15 and each theatre is incurring an expenditure of about Rs three lakhs per month in Hyderabad and about Rs two lakhs per month in the districts though they remained closed, he said.

The Association had already requested the state government to waive property tax and not to collect fixed electricity charges during the period the theatres remained closed, Reddy said. The Association comprises about 650 members in the state, he said.

The owners of theatres are ready to take COVID-19 prevention measures like provision of sanitizers. Though the theatre owners are not hopeful of a larger turnout of audience for the present in view of pandemic, they have decided to reopen the movie halls now as things may improve by January next year, Reddy added.PTI SJR SS PTI PTI