The issue of Mahila Mall, now defunct, led to heated discussions at the Kozhikode Corporation Council meeting on Tuesday as Congress councillor P.N. Ajitha highlighted the recent developments at the mall and demanded the intervention of the civic body in resolving the problems amicably.
In a submission, Ms. Ajitha said many remaining entrepreneurs at the mall, especially the ones on the ground floor, recently found that a large section of their stock was missing and complained that the mall management had removed it without the consent of the shopowners. The removal of the mall’s signboard by the building owner also irked the woman entrepreneurs who continue to have shops at the mall.
Congress councillor K.C. Shobhita said the Corporation did not take any action even though she had pointed out the issues at the mall at a council meeting a few months ago.
BJP councillor T. Rineesh demanded that the Corporation should give compensation to the entrepreneurs who are neck-deep in debt due to the closure of the mall.
However, Mayor Beena Philip maintained that the Corporation had no legal or moral responsibility to interfere in the matter. She said that she had spent more than 30 hours in talks with all the three parties involved (the group that managed the mall, the building owner and the entrepreneurs) with an aim to solve the issue. Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafir Ahamed said the Corporation had no liability to compensate the entrepreneurs as it was not a party in the venture in any manner.
Ms. Ajitha said it was the inefficiency of the group that managed the mall that had resulted in its failure, and that the Corporation had a responsibility towards the entrepreneurs for selecting the group.
