City malls have a dull opening

Nagpur: It was a dull atmosphere at the city malls on day one after they opened after a gap of over four months. Many shops inside the malls were still being cleaned while some had not opened. The ones that had opened did not get much footfalls.
Guards were posted at the entrance of the malls. They checked temperatures of visitors and sprayed sanitizers on their hands. They asked customers to put on masks and urged them to download the Aarogya Setu mobile app if they had not done it.
Circles had been drawn inside the atrium and in front of the shops. As there were not many people, these were practically not required.
A branded garment store owner said that there were no customers in the first half of the day. “People were probably watching the Ram Mandir bhoomipujan and hence, did not turn up. Others must have been in their offices. In the second half, some people turned up. However, I did not get much business. I expect people to turn up in more numbers on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
A restaurant owner said that he had started home deliveries through food delivery apps. “I got some orders. I have not employed my whole staff. I will do it if business picks up,” he said.
Shopkeepers said that Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has implemented the odd-even rule inside malls, which is creating a lot of problems for them. “This rule is not applicable for malls in any other city. NMC must do a rethink otherwise we will not be able to meet our expenses,” said a shopkeeper.
A mall manager said that multiplexes, restaurants and playing zones were closed. “If I am not allowed to open all shops, my occupancy will reduce to 10%. It will simply not remain viable to keep the mall open,” he added.
Commenting on the response on the first day, Ashish Barai of Eternity Mall said that some shops had opened on Wednesday. “The bigger ones need permission from their head offices. Some shops had outside staffers, who are yet to return to Nagpur. Things will improve in the coming days,” he added.
A group of youngsters had come to freak out in a mall. They were disappointed that most outlets were closed. “There is no point if multiplexes and food courts are not open. We used to spend hours before the lockdown. Now it looks like a ghost town,” said Ankita Vyas.