Maharashtra
Chief
Minister
Uddhav
Thackeray
on
Monday
said
theatres
and
cinema
halls,
which
will
reopen
in
the
state
from
October
22,
should
start
with
proper
fire
and
structural
safety
checks.
During
a
meeting
with
office-bearers
of
the
Cinema
Owners
and
Exhibitors
Association
here,
Thackeray
said
an
appropriate
solution
would
be
worked
out
in
coordination
with
the
finance
department
to
address
the
woes
of
single-screen
cinema
halls
that
are
facing
financial
difficulties.
“Chief
Minister
Uddhav
Thackeray
today
said
that
cinemas
in
the
state
should
start
with
proper
fire
and
structural
safety
checks,”
a
statement
by
the
Chief
minister's
Office
said.
A
delegation
of
the
Poona
Exhibitors
Association
demanded
that
the
state
government
provide
concessions
for
renewal
of
various
licenses
as
well
as
free
renewal
of
cinema
licenses,
and
permission
to
levy
a
service
charge
of
Rs
25
per
ticket
after
payment
of
the
GST.
Nitin
Datar,
Nimesh
Somaiya,
Sadanand
Mohol,
Ashok
Mohol
and
Prakash
Chafalkar
presented
the
demands
on
behalf
of
the
association.
NCP
President
Sharad
Pawar,
state
Deputy
Chief
Minister
Ajit
Pawar,
Transport
Minister
Anil
Parab,
Home
Minister
Dilip
Walse
Patil,
Environment
Minister
Aaditya
Thackeray,
Additional
Chief
Secretary
to
the
Chief
Minister
Ashish
Kumar
Singh,
Principal
Secretary
to
the
Chief
Minister
Vikas
Kharge
and
Director
General
of
Police
Sanjay
Pandey
were
present
on
the
occasion.
“It
was
assured
during
the
meeting
that
the
state
government
would
extend
all
possible
cooperation
to
revive
the
film
exhibition
business,”
tweeted
Sharad
Pawar,
whose
party
shares
power
in
the
state
with
the
Shiv
Sena
and
Congress.
The
chief
minister
had
last
month
announced
that
cinema
halls
and
drama
theatres
in
the
state
can
reopen
from
October
22
on
the
condition
that
they
follow
all
the
protocols
required
to
prevent
the
spread
of
coronavirus.
The
Maharashtra
government
last
week
issued
standard
operating
procedures
(SOPs)
for
cinema
halls,
auditoriums
and
drama
theaters,
allowing
them
to
operate
at
half
of
the
total
capacity
Social
distancing
and
other
COVID-19-related
norms
must
be
followed,
said
the
guidelines.
Show
times
of
cinema
halls
will
have
to
be
"staggered",
and
the
sale
of
only
packaged
food
and
beverages
will
be
allowed.
Food
and
beverages
can
not
be
taken
inside
the
screening
auditorium.
Cinema
halls
in
containment
zones
will
continue
to
remain
closed,
the
government
had
said.
Cinema-goers
will
be
required
to
wear
masks.
Sanitisers
should
be
available
inside
the
halls,
toilets
and
in
other
places.
Spectators
must
have
been
vaccinated
against
COVID-19
or
their
health
status
on
the
Aarogya
Setu
app
must
show
as
safe,
according
to
the
SOPs.
The
air-conditioning
in
cinema
halls
should
be
set
at
temperatures
between
24
to
30
degrees
Celsius
and
humidity
levels
between
40
to
70
per
cent,
as
per
the
SOPs.
Maharashtra
on
Sunday
reported
1,715
new
coronavirus
cases,
taking
the
state's
infection
tally
to
65,91,697,
while
29
deaths
pushed
the
toll
to
1,39,789,
the
health
department
said.
As
on
Sunday,
there
were
28,631
active
cases
in
Maharashtra,
it
said.