While it is the municipal corporations and the Energy and Petrochemical Department that are directly concerned with the issue, only the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) is equipped with the required technology for this. But surprisingly, the issue does not come under its purview.

A study by the students of Faculty of Technology and Engineering, MSU, which was published in the magazine of the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, had revealed that in most theatres and auditoriums in the city, the level of oxygen is much lower than the prescribed limits. Conversely, the level of carbon dioxide is high. The Internal Air Quality, according to the study, is compromised to save on the money spent on electricity for keeping the temperature low.

While officials at the Vadodara Municipal Corporation passed the buck to GPCB, officials at the Surat Municipal Corporation said they have initiated certain proactive measures, but added they were not in a position to monitor the venues.

“The corporation’s role is to pass the building plans and ensure that prescribed norms are followed. Although we are monitoring the pollution issue with the help of Technology Information and Forecasting Assessment Council, but that is not for indoor venues,” said Surat Municipal Commissioner S Aparna.

She added: “But after the Vadodara incident, we plan to ask the concerned officials to get all the possible structural aspects; how the cinema halls and other venues run the show. The entertainment department also functions under the district collectorate, so we will take their help. Similarly, the Electricity authority is responsible for verifying the HVAC systems.”

Her Vadodara counterpart M K Das, however, said, “We are certainly concerned about some of the basic requirements at the time of giving the building usage permission, but monitoring air quality is not in our purview.”

GPCB officials admit that they never thought about this aspect. “The Vadodara incident has turned out to be an eye- opener for the policy makers, as such mishap was never thought of. We do not check the air quality inside cinema halls,” said Jignesh Priyadarshi, executive engineer at the Rajkot regional office of GPCB. Officials at the Vadodara and Surat regional offices also gave similar replies.