West Bengal allows cinema halls to operate from Oct 1 with Covid-19 restrictions

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has allowed theatres and cinema halls to function in state from October 1. Adherence to social distancing norms and other Covid-19 guidelines is mandatory for them, the chief minister said. A maximum of 50 people will be allowed to participate in these gatherings, Banerjee tweeted on Saturday evening.
These relaxations were announced ahead of Durga Puja celebrations, which will begin from October 22.
On Thursday, Banerjee announced guidelines for the upcoming festival. The pandal needs to be open from all four sides for proper ventilation. Hand sanitisers will have to be mandatorily placed at entry points of pandals, and wearing of face masks will be binding, the guidelines dictated.
“To return to normalcy, jatras, plays, open air theatres, cinemas and all musical, dance, recital and magic shows shall be allowed to function with 50 participants or less from 1 October, subject to adherence to physical distancing norms, wearing of masks and compliance to precautionary protocols,” Banerjee tweeted.
On the other hand, the ministry of home affairs has so far denied reopening permits to movie theatres that have been shut since the middle of March. However, cinema is a state subject in India.
Multiplex and single screen owners have run social media campaigns throughout September in protest against the denial of reopening permits to them. In over six months that the cinema halls have been shut, the Indian film industry has incurred losses of around ₹3,000 crore, according to the financial daily newspaper Mint.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases in India neared the six million-mark on Sunday with 88,600 people getting infected with the virus in 24 hours. As many as 94,503 people have died due to the virus in the country. Covid-19 cases in West Bengal have gone over 2,44,240 and the death toll has crossed 4,721.
-
Haryana’s money-linked diversification drive:Area under paddy cultivation reduced by 10% in 2021
Two years after it was rolled out, the Haryana government's financial incentive-linked diversification drive, has gained some ground with area under water-guzzling paddy reducing by 10% in 2021. As per official data, during the kharif season in 2021 crop diversification took place on 51,878 acres. As many as 62,562 farmers were paid ₹53.34 crore as incentive for opting for crop diversification. It came down to 14.60 lakh acre in 2021.
-
Jammu and Kashmir SSB registers highest-ever recruitment in 2021-22
The J&K SSB registered the highest-ever recruitment in 2021-22, since its inception, said the J&K government. On Tuesday, the chief secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a high-level meeting about recruitments being made through the J&K Public Service Commission, J&K Service Selection Board, J&K Police Recruitment Board and J&K Bank in the UT. “Previously, the J&K Service Selection Board recruited 8,580 and 8,115 candidates in 2009 and 2015, respectively.”
-
For the 52-year-old first-time AAP legislator and a dental surgeon Vijay Singla, who created history by winning the Mansa assembly seat by a record margin of 63,323 votes on the plank of 'political honesty', the downfall was as unexpected as his rise --- all this, in just two months after his induction in the Bhagwant Mann-led cabinet in Punjab. Singla had defeated the Congress nominee and popular Punjabi rapper Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala.
-
Punjab section of freight corridor likely to be operational by year-end
An 82-kilometre-long section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, extending from Sahnewal to Shambhu in Punjab, is expected to become operational by the end of the year. The 175km single-track section is spread across Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Saharanpur districts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh under the Ambala and Ferozepur divisions of the Northern Railways. It extends from Sahnewal in Punjab to Pilkhani in Uttar Pradesh.
-
Constable shot dead; daughter injured in Srinagar terror attack
Militants on Tuesday attacked an off-duty police constable killing him and injuring his nine-year-old daughter at Anchar in Srinagar. Police said that the cop identified as Saifullah Qadri was attacked by militants near Anchar when he was walking on the road along with his daughter outside his house. “The terrorists involved in the killing of the cop will be identified and neutralised soon,” inspector general of police Vijay Kumar said.