Two different associations of theatre owners in Tamil Nadu have sent out mixed signals on whether or not cinemas will be shut on December 15 on the Mullaperiyar dam issue. One says they will and the other says they won't.
R Panneerselvam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association has announced a one-day closure on December 15. However, Abirami Ramanathan of the Tamil Nadu Thiraiaranga Urimaialargal Sammelan will have nothing to do with this.
"There was some confusion about the closing of theatres on 15th of December. Theatres on their own have never been politically inclined and resorted to any strikes on their own so far. As per now, there is no announcement from our side about closing theatres on the 15th," Ramanathan said.
The 116-year-old dam in Kerala is at the centre of a dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Located in Idukki district, its waters are supplied to Tamil Nadu for drinking and irrigation, as per a 999-year lease agreement between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the erstwhile British Raj.
Over the years, panic has spread among people of four districts of Kerala around the dam following cracks in the structure and repeated earthquakes in the region recently.
While Kerala has demanded construction of a new dam, the dam is safe according to Tamil Nadu, where a recent film "Dam 999" was banned on the pretext that it could ignite passions and cause a law and order situation in the state.
