MALLED IN THE CROWD

The mall clamour triggers space jam, hitting an overloaded traffic system and shoppers who shop
MALLED IN THE CROWD
Deccan Herald

The Bangalore shopper is still at it, fast and flashy. His eyes are set on super-posh malls that lure him into their apparently seamless marketplace. And as the big shopper rush persists – translating into more malls, even in crammed pockets of the City – public space becomes a casualty. Planning authorities nod in approval on one condition: The growth should be systematic. When malls spring up right on bustling thoroughfares, the condition might sound mere rhetoric. A solution could be found in an alternative shopping culture, by tapping the unexplored expanses of peripheral Bangalore. That, for now, is still an idea.

“Bangalore definitely has space for more malls and shopping complexes. However, these marketplaces have to be planned and designed in a manner that ensures a systematic, long-term growth,” says Sreenivasaiah, DC (Markets), Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). The authorities – even while insisting on planned growth – can’t back with facts the logic behind sanctioning malls in the close vicinity of other malls, adding to the traffic maze and pedestrian movement in the area. Evidently, outside the swanky mall life is a big, sweaty race for space.

“The Government should ensure that no malls are allowed to be built in the Bangalore central district. A rule or bye-law should be made banning such malls and complexes within a five-km radius of Vidhana Soudha,” says a senior BMP official. The right way to decongest is to look outside the City, says the official. According to him, malls and entertainment joints on the City’s outskirts would – apart from diverting a substantial chunk of traffic – help the genuine shopper in finding the products and services he’s looking for, minus the clamour of window shoppers.

Far from the madness: A long drive to the multiplex or the shopping mall. That’s something to capture the imagination of those who don’t fancy winding through traffic snarls before getting there. “I know people who just hang out in these malls. I shop when it’s a necessity and hence won’t mind driving longer, as long as the malls give me value for money and adequate parking space,” says R Shyam, an IT consultant.

The impending expansion of the City could well nullify the idea behind such malls on the outskirts. However, that’s a start that could work in checking the big rush in Bangalore’s ever-busy business district.

"The rising number of malls is indeed triggering off infrastructure bottlenecks in Bangalore. However, malls are also the requirement of a dynamic shopping population. As a mode of decongestion, planning malls out of the City limits will definitely help. Such a move could substantially reduce the traffic congestion within the City’s
business pockets. In that case, longer commuting time could emerge as a concern "

K Jairaj ,BMP Commissioner

PRAY AND PARK

Parking space continues to be an issue in all the leading shopping malls in Bangalore City, especially during weekends. While mall promoters look for alternative parking spaces, there doesn’t seem to be much respite.
Motorists pleading with parking attendants to help them find that elusive space has become is a common sight in these malls. The hike in parking fee has also met with public discontent. Some leave their vehicles in the parking lot of a mall to attend to chores unconnected with the mall and return to take the vehicles, denying space for those genuine visitors to the mall.

MALL-CRAWLER’S HAUNT

City’s mall visitors find window-shopping a thoroughly rewarding experience. “When you have so many options, the process of picking one becomes quite exciting,” says management student Sithara, tongue in cheek. Probe further, she cuts down on the shopper gyaan. “I like being among young, fashionable people,” comes the rejoinder.

For many of these young shoppers, the idea of hanging out together while eyeing everything — from lehengas to laptops — without shelling out money is something irresistible. Are they invading space of the genuine shopper, who’s turned off by the rush? “No, the shops can’t insist that all of us buy. And there are enough number of malls in the City for the shoppers to check out,” says Manoj, a chartered accountant.

Understandably, the potential of entertainment joints in the City’s outskirts is lost on his ilk. For them, the mall could mean anything between a date-meet point to a landmark to flaunt to relatives and friends from the hometown. Early for a date? Got time to kill till the evening class? What’s the neighbourhood mall for? Hop in.

PICK YOUR MALL

Globally, malls target niche clientele in a big way. Dedicated malls for specific products and services – IT, health and nutrition, wedding needs and others – have proved successful in bettering shopper satisfaction levels and keeping window-shoppers away.