New spas should not be allowed in city: MG Road residents, shop owners

The protesters said that the spas are often fronts for prostitution rackets and with Delhi tightening norms for spas, such facilities are likely to move to Gurugram, especially to malls on MG Road

Around 100 residents and shop owners from condominiums and malls located on the Mall Mile of the Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road held a protest on Thursday demanding a ban on new spas in the city.

Residents of Mall Mile on MG Road held a protest at a mall against spas on Thursday. (Representative image/Getty Images & iStockphoto)

The protesters said that the spas are often fronts for prostitution rackets and with Delhi tightening norms for spas, such facilities are likely to move to Gurugram, especially to malls on MG Road. A delegation of residents and shop owners had also met MLA Sudhir Singla on Monday regarding the matter.

Rajiv Sinha, the president of Essel Tower residents’ welfare association, said that they organised a protest to create awareness and send a message to the administration that residents were not in favour of having spas in their neighbourhood. “Two years ago, the residents of MG road were forced to organise a similar protest against illegal activities in pubs and bars, after which action was taken against them. We don’t want a similar menace to grow again,” he said.

Akash Oberoi, a shop owner in MGF Mall, said, “If the number of spas increase, visitors and families start avoiding such malls and there is loss of business. Also, there is a very thin line separating the legal and illegal activities in these spas and monitoring them becomes difficult.”

Member of legislative assembly Sudhir Singla said, “I have assured residents that no illegal activities will be allowed in the garb of running a business. People are free to work but there should be no violation of rules.”