Meerut: In yet another blow to single-screen cinemas, which are already losing popularity, the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) on Thursday sealed Menka cinema hall for “illegally remodeling and renovating” without taking permission from the city’s development authority.“There is a separate government order for cinemas wherein they have to take special permission for remodeling and renovation of the theatre from the development authority. For this, a proposal has to be submitted to the MDA, which is reviewed and then the permission is granted. However, they started renovation in the premises and they filed a proposal later, which is against the rules,” said Raj Kumar, MDA secretary.The hall was sealed in the presence of heavy police force and officials of MDA authorities.“Not just this, we have also found that the owners had sent two proposals, one to the Meerut Municipal Corporation (MMC) and the other to the MDA. It was done after most of the renovation work was over. The proposal to the MMC had demanded permission for demolition, and the one sent to MDA was for renovation much after the renovation had already taken place. In both these proposals, the ownership of the cinema is shown in different names,” said Kumar.MDA authorities are also conducting investigation into the ownership of the Menka cinema hall.Since the mall culture hit the city, single screen cinemas’ popularity hit an all-time low. Many single-screen cinemas were shut down. With a handful of single-screen cinemas left in Meerut, the sealing of Menka dealt another blow to movie enthusiasts.

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