MULTAN, Sept 25: The DCO has directed the community development department to eliminate obscenity in theatres in the ‘city of saints’.

Presiding over a meeting on Thursday, DCO Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry took a note of what an official handout said lewd dances on Multan theatres under cover of stage dramas.

He directed the EDO (community development) to enforce closure of Dawn theatre as its NoC to stage plays had been withdrawn. He said Meraj, Babar, Noshab and Starlite theatres were also working without licences.

The EDO was also directed to carry out inspections of theatres along with officials of civil defence, buildings department and tehsil municipal administration to ascertain whether their buildings fulfilled the specifications laid down for the construction of a theatre.

The DCO observed that three cinema houses in Multan had been illegally converted into theatres and ironically the Punjab Arts Council had given them licences to stage plays, although the motion pictures act did not permit the conversion of a cinema house into a theatre.

He pointed out that the provincial government was bringing about changes in the relevant laws to check obscenity in theatres.

He said that buildings of some theatres in Multan were extremely dangerous with regards to security as they did not have separate entry and exit points. The buildings of Sangam and Noshab theatres were so dangerous that any untoward incident could happen anytime, he said.

Later in the evening, EDO (CD) Rana Muhammad Akram accompanied by a police contingent sealed Dawn theatre and police authorities deputed guards to enforce the DCO orders.

Dawn theatre’s Zawar Baloch told newsmen that action of the administration was against court orders. He said a civil court had granted stay order against action to play ‘Jhumar Chor’ being staged for the last 46th day.

He said the judge had summoned the EDO (CD) on Sept 25, but he did not turn up. At this, the judge issued a contempt notice against the EDO with the direction to appear before court on Oct 7.