No doubt, the grand structure and the imposing building adds to the skyline of the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Till now, an important town like Bhopal that has a population of around 20 lakh or 2 million, had no major shopping mall.
Its one of the biggest malls, spread over vast area on Arera Hills near MP Nagar, in the heart of Bhopal.
Controversies and Corruption
But the construction of mall has been mired in controversies. Hundreds of shanties in the Sanjay Nagar slum were shifted to outskirts of Bhopal, to clear the land for this project. The poor residents had to leave their homes and were evicted to a faraway place.
There were also irregularities in transfer and allocation of land to DB corp. Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar certainly has clout and helpful politicians & bureaucrats came to the group's help. It was alleged that land was allotted by violating norms and the state government suffered loss of Rs 14 crore in stamp duty alone.
Accidents and Deaths
Many accidents had also taken place during the construction. Labourers died and got
years and got injured in mishaps in the last 2-3 years. There were other several other controversies also.
Bhaskar's rival newspaper, Patrika, published a series of stories exposing the corruption and large-scale irregulatiries in the land deal and construction of the mall. But a new entrant in Bhopal, Patrika, still has less clout in the state.
Food joints, Leadings brands, Cineplex, McDonald burger!
For shoppers of Bhopal, it is certainly good news. The city, at last, has a mall. So what if hundreds of poor had to abandon their homes! The rich, upwardly mobile class and the middle-class citizens would have fun.
Good brands will be available. Food chains including McDonald have already opened shop in this mall. So have your burget, watch movies at the separate screens in the upcoming cineplex in the mall and forget the rest. After all, we are immune to land grabbings and corruption.
Perhaps, on this note, Bhopalis can welcome DB Mall and its Shopper's Stop.
