Rawalpindi: Plan to convert Odeon Cinema into shopping plaza approved

[Naveed Yaseen]

Saeed Ahmed
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) after dismissal of case against it has finally got approved the plan of converting the Odeon Cinema into multi-storey shopping centre-cum-public library to generate revenue.

This was stated by RCB Chief Executive Officer Shahid Bashir while talking to ‘The News’ here Tuesday.

He said the RCB has also decided to convert another REX Cinema into shopping plaza to generate funds. The work on this project has already been initiated. The work on it would be completed by the start of the next fiscal year i.e.2009-2010. The REX Cinema situated in Westridge.

About the Odeon Cinema, the CEO said that the RCB has succeeded to get dismissal of the case filed by the owner against it. “Now we have prepared a plan to convert the cinema into multi-storey shopping centre-cum-public library, besides a big auditorium. According to estimates the over all cost of the project will be Rs200 million and it would be completed in a six-month time.

The CEO said that the Board has also plan to open another CINEPAX cinema to provide leisure and entertainment to the public. The project is under process and work on it would be started at the start of the next fiscal year.

It merits mentioning here that the idea of converting the Odeon Cinema into shopping centre-cum-public library was floated by the then CEO Mir Iftikhar Ahmed some six years ago, which was rejected by the then concerned authorities in the Ministry of Defence.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154776