Grab the popcorn, tickets go cheap

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and the popcorn might now seem a lot more irresistible to the capital’s movie lovers.

The Delhi government recently brought down the entertainment tax in cinema halls from 30 to 20 per cent. State finance minister A.K. Walia said the cut follows representations from hall owners. This is the first reduction since April 2003, when the rate was halved to 30 per cent.

Walia urged the theatre owners to pass on the benefits to viewers, recalling that some of them hadn’t slashed ticket rates after the tax was cut five years back.

At 20 per cent, the rate is among the lowest in the country, with Walia pointing out that Delhi was the first state to reduce the tax by 40 percentage points in five years.

Delhi has 56 halls, of which 17 are multiplexes, which account for 80 per cent of the tax garnered from theatres. Collections rose to Rs 38.07 crore in 2007-08 from Rs 29.89 crore in 2006-07 and Rs 23.65 crore in 2005-06.        (UNI)

Take the steps, save life

Mumbai might have just taken the big steps to limit accidents.

Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh recently inaugurated the first “skywalk” in Bandra (East), one of the 50 such road overbridges planned in the city over the next few years.

The 1.5km long and four-metre-wide bridge will allow people to walk across from Kalanagar to the Bandra station, used by about five lakh commuters every day.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority plans to transfer the bridge, which has cost around Rs 13 crore, to a private entity for maintenance. “We have many more (skywalks) planned, such as those in VT and Thane,” said Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.

The bridges will help reduce accidents and encourage people to walk, reducing congestion on the streets, he said.

Green shadow on new House

A “green” shadow appears to hang over the new Assembly.

Environment campaign groups have seen red in plans to fell at least “50 giant and old trees” to make room for the new building.

Chennai’s nature lovers reckon that the green cover on the bustling Mount Road, where the building is to come up, is too precious to be lost.

The felling plan has deepened fears that the construction of the Rs 200-crore complex is exacting a high price. Already, Admiralty House, a heritage building that was home to the crime branch and CID offices in the heart of the government estate, has been pulled down.

he demolitions and the felling are necessary because of the sheer size of the new complex, which, at 6.5 lakh square feet, will be one of the country’s biggest Assemblies. Roy Rozario of NGO People’s Voice suggested a way out of what now seems inevitable: the government should “plant 10 saplings for every tree cut down”.

Tragic shoot

The shots hadn’t been canned but the tragedy lingers on.

Two crew members filming a Tamil potboiler were killed recently when the wires of their makeshift lift snapped and sent the metal platform crashing to the ground.

The duo, Udayakumar and Sikamani, were moving cameras to the top floor of an under-construction 11-storeyed building to shoot an untitled Arya-Trisha movie.

Udayakumar died on the spot while Sikamani succumbed to his injuries in hospital. A third shooting assistant, Appanraj, was rushed to hospital in critical condition. (PTI)

MUMBAI: This Thursday (July 3), you can watch Nehle Pe Dehla, a hilarious play about a woman who makes a servant out of her husband only to prove he is at her beck and call, at Juhu’s Prthvi Theatre. Time:6pm. Call 022/26149546 for more information.