By Minahil Makhdoom
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday ordered a drastic reduction in the ticket price for the drive-in-cinema from Rs1,000 per car to just Rs50. The minister passed the directive while inaugurating the first ever drive-in-cinema of Islamabad in F-9 Park. The CDA, in collaboration with Jazz and ActiveMedia, has set up the drive-in cinema for one month to provide an entertainment facility to the citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister directed that the ticket should be Rs50 only. “This is final, [I am saying this] as minister interior,†he said. The minster appreciated CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed, adding: “Amir is a very talented officer, so I would say one [drive-in-cinema] is not suffice.†He said he had already directed NADRA to cancel weekly leaves of it’s staff, adding during his visit to the CDA he would also ask the chairman to reduce the leaves in the civic agency. The minister said police pickets have been removed from roads in the capital and the police would be doing its jobs by using modern technology. The CDA chairman stated that the civic agency will explore options to start another drive-in cinema project. He said the CDA was also planning to conduct a laser light show next month. According to organisers of the drive-in cinema, the project was for one month and movies will be screened in the evening from Friday to Sunday. Director General Environment Naveed Tareen said shows will start at 5pm and continue till midnight. He said the response of moviegoers on the first day was tremendous.
Terming the interior minister’s directive for reducing the cost of the ticket, Furqan Khan, a moviegoer, said the CDA has vast land and should engage other companies as well to start drive-in-cinemas either free of cost or against nominal charges.
So far the newly opened drive-in cinema has received a “massive response”, the capital’s deputy commissioner Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat has said. The deputy commissioner, sharing photographs of the cinema, said that he eyes improving it in the future. “Stay safe Islamabad and enjoy,” he added.
Shafqaat said that drive-in movie theatres have the advantage of in-person viewing while staying in the comfort, privacy, and safety of your own vehicle. “Social distancing is built-in, as cars are often parked six or more feet away from each other and proper COVID-19 protocols make it easier to have fun yet stay safe,†he added.
The cinema was opened a day earlier, in a bid to provide entertainment to people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is located at the Parade Ground adjacent to the Islamabad Highway. The project was launched by the Capital Development Authority in collaboration with Jazz and Active Media Pakistan. Movies will be premiered from Friday to Sunday at 5:30pm.
