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 its 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 told Dawn 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.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020