Global Foyer Mall protest: Gurugram DC says will resolve issue at earliest

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav on Thursday directed the district town planner to visit Global Foyer Mall on Golf Course Road, where shopkeepers have been protesting against the builder for the past three days

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav on Thursday directed the district town planner to visit Global Foyer Mall on Golf Course Road, where shopkeepers have been protesting against the builder for the past three days.

Shop owners protest against the denial of water and electricity supply on Golf Course Road in Gurugram on Wednesday. (Vipin Kumar/ HT Photo)

A massive fire had broken out at the mall on September 30 and it has been shut for more than a month, said officials. Shopkeepers alleged that the builder had given them a no objection certificate (NOC) for renovation work on Monday, but when they refused to sign it, he disconnected their electricity and water supply.

“The builder wants us to pay ₹200 per square feet towards repairs. This amount is not final and can be enhanced to any amount convenient to management. The NOC is in favour of mall management and cannot be signed in its present form. The management has illegally cut off our electricity,” said Nirmal Todee, who has a trading company office at the mall.

Shopkeepers also said their security deposit has been deducted without their consent by the building management. The builder and mall management refused requests for comment.

Shopowners had written to the deputy commissioner on Wednesday and requested that he intervene. “We will look into this matter and ensure that the issue is resolved at the earliest,” said Yadav.

Virender Singh, another outlet owner, said the management asked him to sign the NOC as a pre-condition to restore electricity. “A one-sided agreement is detrimental to owners and violative of equality principle,” he said.

Ashma Khanna, who runs an Ayurveda centre, said she had paid advance electricity and maintenance charges but her power connection has been cut.

Dr Aneesh Katyal, a dentist who runs a clinic at the mall, said he has been unable to attend to a single patient even though 40 days have elapsed since the fire. “We run four dental and healthcare clinics here and there has been no electricity,” he said.