Cinema halls in Jharkhand will not reopen on Monday despite the Centre allowing theaters across the country to operate at full capacity from February 1 onwards, officials from the state disaster management department said on Sunday.

“There is no possibility of movie theaters reopening before February 5,” disaster management department secretary Amitabh Kaushal said. “We will hold a high-level meeting on Friday, February 5, and a decision regarding reopening of movie theaters will be taken during the meeting,” he added.

Cinema halls across Jharkhand have remained closed since the enforcement of a nationwide lockdown in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic back in March 2020. While most states and Union territories have allowed running movie theaters with 50 per cent capacity, Jharkhand is yet to allow theaters to open their doors. Bars, restaurants and malls were opened in the state last year.

“The Centre has allowed all states to allow movie theaters to run at full capacity. The question of allowing theaters to run at full capacity or not arises only after theaters are allowed to open,” said Kaushal, adding that the meeting on February 5 will be chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren and disaster management minister Banna Gupta.

Besides movie theaters, coaching institutes, primary schools, swimming pools, public parks and amusement parks have not received the state government’s nod to reopen. “The meeting will not be about cinema halls only, but also about other services that have remained closed since the lockdown was enforced,” said the disaster management secretary.

Cinema hall owners in the state have been crying hoarse over the alleged apathy of the government towards them, claiming that the lockdown has pushed many businessmen to the brink of bankruptcy. A staffer at Nucleus Mall, who did not wish to be named, said that many employees working in the multiplex were sacked during the lockdown.

Sameer Kumar, a manager at Fun Cinemas in Ranchi’s Spring City Mall, said that movie hall owners have been requesting the government to let them resume services, and are expecting a positive decision from the state. “Jharkhand is one of the few states that has not allowed cinema halls and multiplexes to open. We are expecting the government’s nod as soon as possible as we have already incurred huge losses during this crisis and are not in a position to handle further revenue loss,” he said.

Multiplexes clearly outnumber single-screen-theaters in the urban areas of Jharkhand, but the few single-screen-theaters left have been one of the worst-hit business ventures during the lockdown, sources said.

In its latest decision back in December last year, the government allowed social gatherings of 200 people in enclosed areas, while 300 people were allowed to attend gatherings in the open. The government also allowed a maximum of 200 people to attend religious gatherings.