Jammu, Nov 5: The re-imposition of entertainment duty in J&K by the government has come in for severe criticism from the cinema owners in Jammu, who complained their line of business was fast becoming a “liability for us.”
Demanding exemption from the duty, many cinema owners told Greater Kashmir they were suffering due to diminishing audiences and rising costs.
The owners said as per an order of the government issued over a month ago, non-multiplex cinema halls in J&K have been brought under the ambit of entertainment duty which they termed as “final nail in the coffin of small cinema halls.”
Chairman Shakuntala Cinema Complex and president Cinema Owners’ Association, Jammu, Ramesh Mahajan said: “We are facing the problem of diminishing audiences. Single show witnesses not more than 12 to 20 odd people sitting in the hall. And then government is coming up with the duty instead of giving us some support.”
Mahajan said already thinning audience had left Jammu cinema in dire straits and “now the new duty would leave the remaining audience better glued to cable TV rather than coming to the cinema by paying more.”
He said if a person paying Rs 30 to watch a movie in a non-multiplex hall was overburdened with another Rs 15, “it is very likely that he will take shift to allied means of entertainment rather than coming to the hall to watch a movie.”
He said though multiplexes were kept out of the new duty, the burden was put on the small time cinema owners.
Association Secretary, Harbans Wahi, who is also the owner of Jewel Cinema hall said, “The new duty has come as an extra burden on small time cinema halls, which will break their back.”
“Presently there are only three non-multiplexes running in the city which have also decided to close down if the duty is not removed,” he said.
Also the cinema halls in the peripheries like Udhampur and Katra have criticized the government for the move.
The owners said a government committee should personally visit the cinema halls at peak hours and decide for itself about the feasibility of running such projects on the peanuts.
However, Ramesh Mahajan said that a constant liaison is being tried with Minister for Finance who had earlier assured “us to look into the matter.”
It may be recalled that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Jammu had already criticized the government decision and had demanded immediate revocation of the order.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST