Wanna visit the mall? Be ready to pay up

MUMBAI: Your week-end visits at multiplexes and splurging at malls will soon turn more expensive. The Maharashtra government is contemplating a legislation that would force multiplex theatres and shopping malls to put in place certain security measures.

To compensate for this, multiplex theatres and malls would be allowed to levy a security charge over and above the ticket charge at multiplexes and entry fee at malls. “The multiplex theatres and malls would naturally pass on the burden to people,” a government official said.

Still smarting under the serial bomb blasts on 7/11 that apparently caught him napping, Maharashtra home minister RR Patil proposed the law. Under this, multiplex theatres and shopping malls will not be issued licences if they don’t observe the mandatory security drill, Mr Patil said.

The deputy chief minister has underlined the limitations of the police force to provide security at all places frequented by people. The move has been proposed by the home minister in the wake of the serial bomb blasts on July 11 that killed close to 200 people and injured around 800.

Mumbai is apparently on the hit list of terrorists and crowded public places like multiplex theatres and malls could be an easy target where terror attacks would wreck maximum damage, Mr Patil feels.

The home minister told representatives of multiplex theatres and shopping malls at a meeting on Friday that security measures at crowded public places have become necessary in the context of a higher threat perception.

Mr Patil said that multiplex theatres and malls could recover the cost by levying security charge on people. Mr Patil also told the mall members that he would hold discussion with the Centre to get a custom duty waiver if sophisticated, state-of-the-art security system equipment are required to be imported.

A special cell would be created under Mumbai police to prepare a security system for multiplexes and malls and also guide the owners on security measures. A presentation was made on a model security system for multiplexes and malls at the meeting. Fifty-five representatives of multiplex theatres and malls attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, police have busted three modules of the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operating in Mumbai, but the real module that executed the July 11 blasts continues to elude them, sources said on Friday.

The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) which is probing the blasts has busted two modules so far, one consisting of Kamal Ansari of Madhubani district of Bihar, and the second one led by key LeT operative, Faizal Sheikh of Mumbai.

With the detention of LeT suspect Abdul Hameed from the Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, the ATS said a third module that had its operations in Mumbai has been busted.