Two days after the Tamil Nadu government allowed theatres across the state to have 100 per cent occupancy, the Union ministry of home affairs on Tuesday sent a note to the chief secretary, saying the order should be withdrawn in view of the COVID-19 protocols.
The note pointed out that allowing 100 per cent occupancy in theatres is a violation of the MHA order with regard to theatres and multiplexes.
A letter from the Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla to Tamil Nadu chief secretary Shanmugam stated that “the Government of Tamil Nadu, through its order on January 4, has permitted to increase the seating capacity of cinemas, theatres and multiplexes from existing 50 per cent capacity to 100 per cent by following the standard operating procedure (SOP). This amounts to dilution of MHA order dated December 28, 2020, issued under the DM Act, 2005.”
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In the letter, MHA asked the state government to withdraw its order immediately and “issue necessary orders to bring their guidelines in line with the MHA guidelines dated December 28, 2020 and inform compliance with MHA.”
Through the letter, the MHA has also instructed the state to strictly follow the SOP issued by the Union government and enforce them strictly. As per the SOP guidelines issued by the MHA, theatres and multiplexes were allowed to reopen with 50 per cent seating capacity outside the containment zones.
Despite the strict MHA directive with regard to seating capacity in cinemas, after actor Vijay called on the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami at the latter’s office, the state government allowed reopening of the theatres with 100 per cent capacity. Vijay’s blockbuster movie Master was scheduled to be released on January 13, close to the Pongal holidays.
It was said that a big budget movie like Master could draw crowd back to the theatre, and so full capacity was allowed, overlooking the SOP issued by MHA in view of the pandemic. However, the government's decision and the move by Vijay were severely criticised as many pointed out that this would lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases even as the world is witnessing another wave of coronavirus.
