Defunct ‘Alpona’ cinema in Kalia becomes mosque under Tablighi lease

The “Alpona” cinema hall in Narail’s Kalia has been converted into a Tablighi Markaz mosque, with a banner announcing the change displayed on the building. According to local administration officials, the site has been leased by Maulana Shahidul on behalf of the of Tablighi’s “Aalmi Shura Nizam”. It will now serve as a centre for religious propagation. Upazila administrator (UNO) Md Rasheduzzaman said the cinema had shut down about 20 years ago. “It was a vested property. I’ve heard someone leased it from the government for operations.” The structure still bears a nameplate, showing it was inaugurated in 1984 as the “Town Hall” by the then deputy commissioner M Shafayat Ali. It was later turned into a cinema hall. Local...