EIMPA asks govt to increase service charge for single screens

The Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA) has urged the West Bengal government to address the issue of increasing service charge for showing films in single screen theatres on an urgent basis.

The service charge was last hiked in 2001 and since then the charge was Rs 3 per ticket for AC single screens, Rs 2.50 per ticket for single screens with blower machines and Rs 2 per ticket for single screens with fans, EIMPA president K N Daga said on Friday.

He said an increase would help single screens tide over losses and buffer the present difficult situation triggered by piracy, streaming on net and coming up of multiplexes.

A hike was also required for the sake of proper maintenance of the single screen theatres, Daga said.

An EIMPA member said the association has suggested to the government to fix service charge for single screens to Rs 10 per ticket for halls with AC and Rs 5 per ticket for halls with blower facilities.

New rates should be fixed at a meeting attended by single screen owners, exhibitors, distributors and the government at the earliest, Daga said.

The EIMPA, which had held talks with West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas on the issue on September 26, said some of the members had proposed to