TNTOA fixes Dec.15 for theatres bandh

All theatres comprising 1, 450 screens in Tamil Nadu will close on Dec.15 to express solidarity with the State on the Mullaperiyar dam row.

This was decided by the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association (TNTOA) at its meeting in Chennai on Dec.6.

R. Paneerselvam, general secretary of TNTOA, said they would also stage a hunger strike on that day. All the unions in the film industry would join the stir.

Urging the Central Government to intervene immediately and settle the issue in the genuine interests of the farmers of Tamil Nadu, the association said the one-day closure of the theatres in the State is to convey the feelings of the people of the State to Kerala and the Centre on the dam issue.

The closure of the theatres on Dec.15 will result in a loss of about Rs.10 crore, Paneerselvam said.