Ahmedabad's biggest mall sealed over Covid-19 norm violations

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sealed the "Ahmedabad One" mall here in Gujarat on Monday over alleged violations of guidelines in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"Ahmedabad One", located in the posh Vastrapur area, is considered as the largest mall in the city. It houses many high-end showrooms and eateries, attracting thousands of visitors.

Malls in Gujarat have been allowed to operate but with a slew of guidelines related to crowding and adherence to social distancing and other norms related to Covid-19.

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On Friday, a large number of people were present inside the sprawling mall for shopping ahead of Raksha Bandhan (on Monday), said civic officials.

"Similar scenes were witnessed on Sunday also. Today, an AMC team saw people roaming inside shops without masks and also flouting social distancing norms.

"A large number of people had flocked the mall and no social distancing was being maintained," said Director of AMC's Solid Waste Department, Harshad Solanki.

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The AMC team first asked visitors and shop owners to vacate the place and then the entire premises was sealed, said AMC Deputy Director MB Shah.

"We saw many visitors roaming inside the mall without wearing masks. There was a lack of social distancing too. This can lead to infection.

"Thus, we have sealed the mall for an indefinite period," said Shah, who led the AMC inspection team.

Similar action will be taken against other malls also if they are found violating the norms and rules laid down by the government to stop the spread of coronavirus, Shah warned.