UP govt orders all malls, shops to shut at 7pm

LUCKNOW/NOIDA: For most urban residents, social life is virtually synonymous with malls. It’s where they go to eat, drink, watch movies, hang out with friends or even enjoy some respite from the heat. But inhabitants of the bustling areas of Noida, Indirapuram and Ghaziabad, apart from other parts of Uttar Pradesh, are set to be plunged into the “dark ages” with the state government, which is battling a huge power shortfall , ordering all shops, malls and commercial establishments to shut at 7pm for the next 15 days.

The labour department order, issued on Sunday, comes into effect from today. Medicine shops, multiplexes , single-screen cinemas and offices are exempt, but all other commercial activity is required to shut down after dark. This effectively pushes UP back by decades to the pre-liberalization era, when blackouts were common.

Restaurants will be required to close by 10pm. All other commercial establishments, including even neighbourhood kirana stores, will have to be shuttered by 7pm. The labour department has threatened strict action against commercial establishments flouting the order.

However, malls in Noida have already begun mulling alternatives to keep business ticking, even if means incurring extra costs. “A clear picture will emerge only after we receive the order. But evenings are peak hours in malls and we could use alternative sources of energy like gensets,” said Vikas Tyagi, GM of Shopprix Mall in Noida’s sector 62.
“We will harness power through diesel-run generators,” said Archana Browne, VP (Sales and Marketing ), GIP Mall in sector 37 of Noida. “Visitors’ interests are of primary importance to us and we will not let them return dissatisfied,” she added . “This is an impractical order. In this heat, people venture out only in the evenings,” said Shantanu Srivastava , manager of Phoenix Mall in Lucknow.

The order will be reviewed after a fortnight by when monsoon is likely to reach UP, providing some relief on the power front. Average per-day demand in the state soared to 12,000mw in June, 1,000 mw more than the previous peak demand.

POWER CURFEW

Malls to open at 11am, close at 7pm for the next 15 days, says UP labour dept All shops, barring pharmacies, to also follow 11am-7 pm timing Restaurants to operate between 11am and 10pm No decorative lighting, hoardings after 8.30pm; power connection to be snapped in case of violation Steel furnace and rolling mills, which consume heavy power, to remain closed till further orders, says UP power corp chairman Streetlights to be switched on between 8pm and 4.30am only.