Ready to pay more money for uninterrupted power supply, the mall owners maintained malls have become the new entertainment centres.
No blackout please! This is a unanimous appeal from the mall owners in Mumbai.
Ready to pay more money for uninterrupted power supply, the mall owners maintained malls have become the new entertainment centres where besides shopping, consumers want to just chill out.
However, if there is restrictions on power usage, they are willing to negotiate with the policy makers.
Shital Mehta, head of marketing and sales at Raghuleela, Kandivili, said, “ It is very difficult to cut down on power consumption. But we have already taken some energy conservation measures. We operate the escalators only on weekends. During the weekdays, we allow the escalator only for going upstairs. We use alternative lights in the corridors to save power. The lights are switched on late by two hours.” Mehta said,
“The biggest culprit are the central air-conditioners and chillers, which consume maximum power.”
The malls are primarily driven on power. Whether it is games for children, food-courts, gadgets or internal decorations, electricity is essential. The massive glass walls and false ceiling get the facelift, only if there is proper lighting, officials at Inorbit explained.
Arguing that the billboards displayed outside the Lifestyle or Hypercity are part of their marketing strategy to pull crowds. How can we switch off or change the interiors for which we spent crores, he argued.
Owner of Atria Mall Kunal Vardhan said, “Malls have become India’s face to the rest of the World. We cannot afford to have blackouts.”
Admitting that malls consume more power because under one roof, we have several tenants, food-courts, entertainment facilities for children. The ambience have to be consumer-friendly.
He reveals that the electricity bill at Atria Mall runs up to Rs30 to 40 lakh per month. The bills at Raghuleela according to Mehta is as high as Rs70 lakh per month.
Malls owners are already paying higher price for power as they have been bracketed under commercial category.
Vardhan said he was not in favour of power cuts but if forced, he will have the timings changed or instal new gadgets to save power without disturbing the consumers and business.
Subodh Runwal at the R Mall says the policy at the outset is welcome provided it does not adversely affect the consumers and business outlets.
But the big question is how one can implement. Moreover, there is nothing like malls consuming more power as compared to other commercial establishments, he added.
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