Hyderabad: Single screen theatres in Hyderabad will now be allowed to collect parking fee. However, multiplexes and theatres located in commercial establishments will not be allowed to do the same.
The state Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department issued orders on Tuesday, July 20, saying “standalone cinema theatres” will now be allowed to collect parking fees from people who park their vehicles in the theatre premises.
However, multiplexes and theatres located in commercial establishments will not be allowed to collect parking fees, the order noted. Permission to collect parking charges has been one of the many demands put forward by theatre owners to the state government, with their revenues badly hit during the pandemic.
Back in 2018, the state government had issued orders regulating parking fees in commercial establishments, malls and multiplexes. Noting that in case of ‘standalone’ movie theatres, many vehicles “are being parked in the parking area which belong to people other than cinema goer and that maintaining and safety of vehicle was becoming an issue,” the government has now tweaked the previous order to allow single screen theatres to collect parking fees. “The instructions regarding no parking fee for multiplexes and those located in commercial complexes shall continue to be as it is,” the order noted.
Although the Telangana government has allowed theatres in the state to reopen with 100% seating capacity from July 18, most theatres have continued to remain shut, waiting for big movies to release in theatres.
The Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce (TSFCC) members said they could not screen old movies, given the high maintenance cost of running theatres.
The TSFCC met state Minister of Cinematography Talasani Srinivas Yadav and sought several relaxations in order to reopen theatres, including revival of parking charges, waiver of property tax and minimum electricity charges for the lockdown period. Several single-screen theatres in Hyderabad have been forced to shut down due to losses during the pandemic.