Patna malls reopen, attract customers

PATNA: City malls and marts, which had been shut for the last few months due to the restrictions imposed by the government to check the spread of Covid-19 during the second wave, witnessed heavy footfalls after being reopened on Saturday. Many shops in the malls came up with lucrative offers and seasonal discounts to attract a large number of customers.
Amit Ranjan, the manager of a mall on Fraser Road, told this newspaper, “With a view to managing the crowd and maintaining social distancing inside the mall, we had to ask a few customers to wait outside. The response has been overwhelming since morning.”
Ratan Singh, the general manager of another mall in Patliputra Colony, urged the government to allow malls to open on all days, instead of just three. “All our employees and security personnel have been vaccinated and the premises are sanitised thoroughly,” he claimed and added that around 7,700 people visited the mall on Day 1.
Echoing similar views, Pankaj Kumar, the employee of a mall near Boring Canal Road, said the customers’ response was great as “several outlets have come up with discounts and offers”.
Meanwhile, Patnaites, especially youngsters, were excited to revisit their favourite malls after a long time. Shristi Suman, a resident of Ashiana Colony, bought dresses, bags and glasses because “everything was available at a reasonable price”.
Rahul Kumar Gupta, a resident of S P Verma Road, said, “I went to a mall to buy clothes for a wedding ceremony I will attend later this week. I also bought a gift for the couple.”