Omaxe mall courts trouble with shopowners before launch

Bucking the economic downturn that has gripped the world economy,the royal town of Patiala is seeing increased commercial activity with the imminent opening of a new shopping mall in the city.

The Rs 150-crore Omaxe Shopping Mall project,spread across 3.75 lakh square feet on the busy Mall road,will house a number of national and international brands,besides a multiplex,hotel and food court.

But days before its formal launch,the project has run into stormy weather with shop-owners up in arms against the management for slapping maintenance charges even before the mall has opened. Pawan Kumar,a shop-owner,said they had not been given possession of the outlets yet but were asked to pay huge sums in the name of maintenance.

The developer explains the situation by saying the management of the mall had been handed over to a separate firm,which started charging the maintenance fee from December 1. In an effort to pacify the agitated shop-owners,sources said Omaxe is mulling over granting some concessions to the shop-owners.

Company vice-president Sanjeev Sharma said: The mall will soon be formally opened. We have already sold all our commercial space and are all set to show Patiala a new and unique shopping experience.

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