Imphal, March 01: Though the foundation stone of the theatre complex of Manipur Film Development Corporation was laid amid much fanfare by the then Chief Minister Rishang Keishing and the then Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Hrishikesh Mukherjee in 1986, construction work of the theatre has remained suspended since 1998, leaving the incomplete building to the ravages to nature.

The theatre complex was designed by the Pakhangba Space Consultant and the construction work was taken up by the MFDC.

A four storeyed building, the theatre complex was to have facilities to stage dramas and screen films.

Work on the theatre complex started in 1995, but was stopped in 1998 as the State Govt ran into financial trouble.

Film buffs told The Sangai Express that if the theatre complex had been completed in good time, then it could have gone a long way in helping the MFDC which is right now in dire straits.

Work on the ground floor is more or less finished and once the construction is completed, the theatre will have the capacity to seat 1200 audience at a time.

The complex is to have a mini-conference room with a seating capacity of 50 people at a time.

According to the Manipur Scheduled Rate worked out in 1992, if the construction had been completed at that time, the cost of constructing the complex was pegged at Rs 1.2 crore.

Till 1998, the year the construction work was called off, the total amount spent on the complex was Rs 52 lakhs.

To complete the construction, it will take another Rs 3 crores, according to rough estimates.

Out of the Rs 52 lakhs spent on the theatre complex, the State Govt had forked out Rs 28 lakhs while NFDC had given Rs 15 lakhs as loans while MFDC had chipped in with Rs 9 lakhs.

As Manipuri films have taken the digital format to cut costs, the equipments lying with MFDC to produce celluloid films are gathering dust, robbing it of another avenue to earn revenue.

It will take a sincere effort on the part of the Govt to revive the MFDC which has played no small role in highlighting the rich culture of the State to the rest of the world through films, said sources.

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