Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation cracks down on miniplexes, four sealed | Ahmedabad News - Times of India

Source: The Times of India

Ahmedabad: In a decisive move, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) cracked down on miniplex video cinemas posing a risk to public safety. Addressing fire safety and Building Use (BU) violations, the civic body on Saturday sealed 11 units, including four miniplexes, in the western part of the city. This brings the total number of units sealed for these violations to 104.

TOI had on May 31 highlighted the lack of safety in several miniplexes. The Gujarat Cinema (Regulation of Exhibition by Video) Rules of 1984, alongside the Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (CGDCR) have been interpreted in a manner that allows for the mushrooming of video cinemas, often referred to as miniplexes, within commercial complexes, say AMC officials. Their numbers have multiplied despite stringent state govt rules on construction of multiplexes and cinemas under the CGDCR. These rules are often circumvented as video cinemas fall under the miniplex label in commercial zones.

In terms of licensing, Ahmedabad city and district have collectively issued licenses to 24 mutiplexes and 61 video cinemas or miniplexes.

The criteria for these licenses include factors like screen size, seating capacity - which must be less than 125 seats for miniplexes - and verification of essential documents such as construction plans, building use (BU) permissions, and fire NOCs. However, there is a notable gap in the process, as construction plans for miniplexes do not receive separate approval as mandated under CGDCR. This oversight means that many miniplexes operate without the necessary individual fire NOCs, creating a potential hazard.

On Saturday AMC's estate TDO and fire teams conducted inspections in 313 buildings across the city, focusing on BU and fire NOC compliance. Among the sealed units were illegally operating restaurants and cafes along Sindhu Bhavan Road. Notable among them were United Food Park and Hob Knob Cafe. Solani Plus Hospital and Simran Hospital also faced closure due to violations.