LAHORE, Jan 22: District Nazim Mian Amer asked the theatre owners, video cassette and CD dealers on Tuesday to mend their ways before the interference of the government agencies in their business.

He took a serious view of staging of vulgar plays in the theatres and sale of video and CD recordings of these plays and uncensored movies by the Hall Road dealers during his meetings with their representatives.

The Nazim said that strict action would be taken against those found staging obscene plays or selling the video or CD recordings of the same.

He said that the Punjab Arts Council, the authority to scrutinize the scripts of the stage plays, had not allowed dancing in any stage play or presentation of musical programmes in theatres. Complaints were being received by the district city government that both these things were being done with impunity.

He said a procedure had been prescribed for the scrutiny and approval of the scripts of stage plays within three weeks of its submission followed by issuance of a no-objection certificate by a committee. The representatives of the Punjab Arts Council and the Home Department would constitute the committee.

Strict action would be taken against the drama producers and theatre owners for deviating from the approved script or addition of dances or vulgar dialogues in the plays.

The Nazim asked the Hall Road traders to stop the sale of video cassettes and CD recordings of vulgar stage plays and uncensored movies or get ready for punitive action.

The traders assured him that they would try to convince their colleagues to discontinue the sale of objectionable video cassettes and CDs.