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Nagpur, Oct 14As cinema houses in the city and state have closed business for the past seven months, their owners who run them have become worried.They had expected re-opening of cinemas in the city in the earlier phases of Unlock which did not happen, thus dampening their enthusiasm.However, in a meeting of Maharashtra cabinet held on Wednesday, some relaxations were given with regards to the protocol of Covid-19, but it did not include reopening of cinemas in the State.This has further compounded the problems for cinema houses.The terms and conditions of entertainment business are so complex that owners of cinema houses can not even change the nature of their business in the face of prolonged Covid-19 induced lockdown.These terms and conditions stipulate if they have to start new business venture at the location of their current cinema houses, they have to earmark at least one third of their theatre premises for running a small theatre.This means, if the bigger cinema house has a capacity to accomodate 1000 people, they will have to cut down this capacity to 250, but will not be allowed to shut down theatre business completely.Apart from this, under such conditions, the theatre owners in view of the Covid-19 pandemic will have to also follow standard operating procedure (SoP) like maintaining physical distancing which would entail them to allow spectators in the cinema houses only on alternate seats.Thus the capacity of 250-seater cinema house would automatically come down to 125, ultimately giving a big jolt to them financially.Apparently, there is no indication from any of the theatre owners to change the nature of their business as presently they are waiting only for the big screens to resume operations.Cinema housesseek MSME statusEfforts are going on to grant industrial status to cinema houses and include them in MSME category.Following registration of their cinema houses in MSME sector, their owners would apply to Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for subsidised power rate.It is hoped that in near future, power to cinema houses would be charged as per industrial rates and not on the basis of commercial rates.Pramod Munot, Executive member, Central Circuit Cine Association.

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