Arunachal Pradesh CM flags off mobile digital movie theatres

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday flagged off five ‘Mobile Digital Movie Theatres’ at a function here.

Mobile Digital Movie Theatres are ready-to-assemble and easy-to-dismantle ‘theatres’ housed in mobile trucks. These theatres are air-conditioned, fire-proof and weatherproof and can seat as many as 150 people in one go.

A 34-feet LCD screen is mounted horizontally onto the side of the truck, which opens into a tent made of inflatable acoustic panels.

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“Why should entertainment be confined to towns and cities? Now we will take entertainment, information and education to the doorstep of our villagers,” Khandu said after flagging off the mobile digital movie theatres.

He said that local film producers can benefit from these theatres as the state doesn’t have much to write about cinema halls and multiplexes.

The chief minister said that the project was conceived two years ago and budget provisions were kept for procurement of the mobile theatres and training of personnel to run them.

“Our main focus is to empower our rural citizens through educating them digitally besides providing some entertainment,” he said.

The mobile theatres are equipped with V-SATS that offer internet connectivity anywhere.

Khandu said special films will be screened educating people on the state as well as central government’s programmes and policies that will guide them to avail benefits from welfare schemes.

“These mobile theatres will connect the rural populace with the government,” he claimed.

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Khandu said as a pilot project, five mobile digital movie theatres have been procured by the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR) which would be dispatched to five different districts.

“After about a year, we will study the feedbacks received and plan accordingly whether to procure more or not,” he said.

To start with, the five districts to have the first mobile theatres are Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Namsai, East Siang and Tawang.

For the first three months the theatres will be run by Picture Times. Meanwhile, local people will be trained, who will take over the theatres when the time comes.

The theatres would also be available for use by other departments like Health, Education, Agriculture, Horticulture for their respective IEC campaigns in return for a minimal payment.

IPR Minister Bamang Felix and Advisor Laisam Simai were also present on the occasion.