49 days after blaze, Kolkata's Acropolis mall set to reopen on Saturday
Times of India | 31 July 2024
Acropolis Mall in Kolkata prepared to reopen 49 days after a fire incident. Most facilities were set to resume operations following clearance from the fire department. KOLKATA: Acropolis mall in Kasba is set to reopen on Saturday (Aug 3), 49 days after it had shut following a fire at a bookstore located in the mezzanine level between the food court on the third floor and restaurants on the fourth floor.
The news comes as a huge relief to not just shoppers and store operators but also to businesses in the neighbourhood that have taken a beating due to slump in footfall following the mall's protracted closure.
"Acropolis has received permission from the fire department to reopen and we will do so on Saturday. Around 90% of the mall including all retail stores, cineplex and the food court will resume operations this weekend. The rest comprises brands located on the third and fourth floors like Time Zone, Hoppipola and will open a few days later due to ongoing renovation," said Acropolis mall general manager Subhadip Basu.
The office wing spread across 16 floors and housed in the same complex was allowed to open on June 25. But the delay in the fire department's nod for the mall to restart had put the management under pressure from retailers. A fire inspection was carried out on July 5 but permission was finally granted only on July 29, some 45 days after a fire gutted a bookstore while the rest of the mall was unaffected and all present were evacuated without any casualty.
The business loss at a conservative estimate of Rs 1.5 crore per day amounted to around Rs 67.5 crore till Monday when fire department gave its nod. The loss to the exchequer by way of GST is pegged around Rs 9 crore.
The mall authorities will carry out deep-cleaning of the facility till Thursday and undertake fire safety drills and a dry run of operations on Friday before opening to the public on Saturday. According to the GM, all restoration and repair on electrical systems, HVAC, plumbing, lifts, escalators, and painting has been completed. "Fire safety work is also finished, and the painting is done. We are now conducting deep cleaning, fire safety drills and notifying retailers," he said, adding that everyone hoped the mall would throb with life again from this weekend.