Do you often visit cinema for most of the movie releases? Well, guys here is certainly a disappointing news for all of us. Movie tickets are set to get costlier with the Lok Sabha passing a bill to allow the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to levy entertainment tax. The tax will be imposed in addition to 28 percent GST, which is already being levied on cinema.

Going with the decision, Chandigarh’s Mayor Asha Jaiswal said it would help to increase the revenue of the city’s Municipal Corporation. The increased revenue can be used for developmental works. Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is supposed to get around Rs 17 crores per annum from the multiplexes and theaters in the city. Soon, a meeting of officers would be called and a detailed proposal for tax would be laid before the House for its approval.

Multiplex operators have expressed disappointment with the decision saying it would ruin the entertainment industry. An official from a multiplex said if the tax is imposed, it would put an extra burden on movie-goers, resulting in a big loss for the multiplexes.

Once the tax is imposed, the movie industry will have to pay 58 percent tax, which would lead to a hike in the rates of the movie tickets. At present, the movie tickets in multiplexes start from Rs 150 and it varies on weekdays and weekends. Now, with the implementation of entertainment tax, the prices are set to rise.

There are a number of seven multiplexes and three single-screen theaters in the city. With the rise in the amount of tax, the multiplexes are sure to suffer reduced profits. The decision of the city’s municipal corporation will render the movie tickets beyond the reach of the common man.

Multiplexes in Chandigarh

• Fun Multiplex, Manimajra
• DT Cinemas, DLF City Centre Mall, IT Park, Manimajra
• PVR, Centra Mall, Industrial Area, Phase 1, Chandigarh
• PVR, Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Phase 1
• Wave Cinemas, City Emporium Shopping Mall, Chandigarh
• Piccadilly Cinema, Piccadilly Square, Sector 34
• Cinepolis Cinema, TDI Mall Jagat, Sector 17

Theatres in Chandigarh?

• Kiran Theatre, Sector 22
• Neelam Theatre, Sector 17
• Batra Theatre, Sector 37

However, Let us see if the prices of the movie tickets increase in the city or not.

Following the pattern of USA, the city beautiful is all set to get a one spot emergency number. The UT Administration has started the process to launch a single number — 112 — for all sorts of emergency services. If you are seeking the helpline for police, ambulance, fire department, women helpline or disaster management, 112 is now the way to go.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a grant of Rs. 4.5 crore to UT administration for setting up of National Emergency Response Service- 112.  As per the sources, UT Adviser Parimal Rai held a high-level meeting of officers to discuss the issue on Thursday. Home Secretary Anurag Aggarwal, DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra, and senior officers of other departments were a part of the meeting.

Existing Emergency Numbers

With the introduction of a new integrated number, any person in distress will be able to avail all the facilities in one single call. It becomes very difficult for the public to remember different numbers for different emergency situations. At present, a person has to dial 100 for Police Helpline, 101 for Fire brigade, 102 for ambulance and 108 for emergency disaster management. The existing helpline numbers would continue to work along with 112 for almost a year and then they would be phased out gradually.

This is how 112 will work

The facility of 112 will work in the same way as the 911 facility works in the USA (United States).  A high-tech control room is proposed to be established at The UT Police Headquarters in Sector 9, Chandigarh. The all in one helpline number would ensure a well-coordinated response to those in distress. The administration is planning to start the service soon.

Confused about how the number would actually function? Well, let us make it simple for you to understand. When a person would dial 112, the call would automatically be directed to the concerned department. The system will track the location of the caller and the same will be shared with the nearest help center. It would also be linked to a panic button on the phone screen. Well trained persons who can speak Hindi, English and Punjabi will be debuted at the control room for attending the calls. This number would be accessible from all mobiles as well as landlines phones. 112 will work on phones even if outgoing call facility from your phone has been debarred or the service is temporarily suspended.The user can also communicate through an SMS on the same number.

UT Administration might begin the trial of this new helpline from September.

With the aim of reducing air pollution and promoting eco-friendly modes of transport, Chandigarh administration has come up with e-rikshaw policy. The city will soon get to see 1000 more e-rikshaws running on the roads of Chandigarh. The UT administration has initially decided to issue only 1000 licenses for these battery operated vehicles. The licensing work for these e-rikshaws will be taken over by State Transport Authority (STA).

It is a great move by the administration as the city is currently experiencing traffic jams at peak hours of the day. Also, the increasing number of vehicles in the city adds to the increasing pollution levels in the city. The step taken by the UT administration will not only reduce the air pollution levels of the city but will also result in less diesel and petrol consumption.

At present, a total of 300 e-rikshaws are running on the roads of Punjab University, Rock Garden, and Sukhna Lake. Now, to avoid the traffic the administration is planning to allow the entry of e-rikshaws throughout the city restricting only a few spots.

 No E-Rikshaws on V-1, V-2 & V-7 roads

The battery operated vehicles which were earlier limited to operate only at Rock Garden, Punjab University and Sukhna Lake will now be plying on almost all the roads of Chandigarh. The e-rikshaws will not be permitted to operate on  V-1, V-2, and V-7 roads.

V-1 roads are the stretches from Zirakpur to Tribune Chowk, Transport Chowk in Sector 26 to Sector 47 and Transport Chowk to Manimajra,  National Highways like Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg comprise V-2 roads and V-7 roads include Pedestrian paths and cycle tracks.

Rules to be followed

• The vehicle must be equipped with first aid box and fire extinguisher.
• A grey Uniform has been made compulsory for all the e-rikshaw drivers.
• The helpline number 1073 of traffic police should be displayed on the vehicle.
• The vehicle should bear the name, address and telephone number of the permit holder.
• The owners of the vehicles will be required to dispose of the used batteries only through an authorized e-waste disposal agency.
• For any traffic offenses, the battery operated vehicles will be liable for penalty under Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 and Chandigarh Motor Vehicle Rules, 1990.

E-Rickshaws – Friends with your Pocket

E-Rickshaws are proving to be a good-good in every sense. Along with, being eco-friendly these vehicles will fit perfectly in your pockets. The fare for the E-rickshaws is yet to be decided but it will cost you way lesser than that is being charged by auto-rickshaws.

These vehicles are exempted from value-added tax (VAT) and road tax for registration by the UT administration. The vehicles should have a type-approval certificate from the designated testing agencies as prescribed by the Union ministry of road transport and highways.

In order to keep the availability of the rickshaws up to demand the STA would closely watch and regulate the number of vehicles to be registered.