Nehru Shopping Complex sans single operational lift for 16 years
Even as a provision for installing four lifts was made by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) in its major commercial project, Nehru Shopping Complex, it managed to install only one in its 25 years of existence.
To facilitate the mobility of customers in the multi-storey complex which is situated in a prime shopping area of the city, an elaborate provision for installing lifts was made.
According to people running their stores in the complex, the place has a provision for four lifts but the authorities concerned installed only one. The solitary lift never functioned smoothly ever since it was installed some years back.
Consequently, a number of SCOs (Shop-cum-offices) on the top two floors are lying closed. The AIT is blamed for this condition of the market. Proper arrangements for sanitation are also lacking.
This shopping complex on prime land where Lawrence Road intersects Mall Road has failed to see much business for shopkeepers as there is not much mobility for visitors inside the complex. Store owners complain that ample parking space helps bring a large number of motorists but they seldom are seen stepping on to the stairs to reach its upper floors.
On the other hand, commercial complexes developed much later in Ranjit Avenue area have managed to prosper as customers prefer to visit there. A shopkeeper, Surjit Singh, said there was a proposal for the installation of a cube lift worth Rs 12.50 lakh in early 2010s but the plan never took off.
Raised in late 1990s, the multi-storied shopping complex has 376 shops but a large number of visitors avoided going to the upper storeys due to non-operational lifts. “We have been losing business while store owners in private malls are earning well,” he rued. Many shops on the second and third floors are lying locked. A majority of the shopkeepers blame the non-functional lift for the flop show of the complex.
According to them, the lift service has never been operational since its inception. In the absence of easy access, customers do not show interest in visiting the upper storeys. Hence, investors do not dare to invest money in opening shops and offices on the upper floors.
