Eastern suburbs say 'no thanks' to Mumbai 24 on weeknights

It was shutters down at Phoenix MarketCity in Kurla on Monday night. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Monday night was technically the first of the nightlife project but merriment began over the weekend at two of the area's biggest malls - R City in Ghatkopar and Phoenix MarketCity, Kurla.

The mega malls came to life over the weekend with discounts, special film screenings and shuttle services. They, however, remained closed on weeknights.

mid-day discovered during its test drive between 2 am and 3 am on January 28 that not even a cup of tea was available at the malls.

R City in Ghatkopar was all dark, too. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The arterial LBS Road is a hub for malls with several smaller ones dotting the stretch. The once-popular Nirmal Lifestyle mall in Mulund is almost dead with its impending shutdown with only the cinema hall functioning. The other big mall is Viviana at Thane.

R City was shrouded in darkness and had security guards and police manning it. Its owner, Sandip Runwal, had told mid-day that it will remain open on weekends as part of Mumbai 24. A social media post of R City Mall with the hashtags #NowOpen24Hours, #NowOpenThroughTheNight announced that it will be open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. "Calling out all the shopaholics! Satisfy your midnight shopping pangs as we are now open for 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays," it stated.

"As we are now open for 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays we've planned a special screening of Forrest Gump and Midnight In Paris exclusively for you only at Sky Cinema, R City," another post read.

Phoenix Marketcity in Kurla too, was shut, with security guards saying it is open late only during weekends. A social media post by Phoenix Marketcity with the hashtag #MidnightSaleAtMarketcity said that the mall had remained open on the night of January 25-26 between midnight and 5 am and offered special midnight discounts. Also on offer were free parking, shuttle services to and from the mall and free beverages for women.

In Mumbai 24's first phase, shops, eateries, and theatres in malls and mill compounds situated in non-residential areas were to be allowed to remain open 24 hours. While the basic idea was to show that Mumbai is a safe city and boost tourism, it seems that the project may take some time to gather steam.

5 am
Time till which Phoenix Marketcity was open on Jan 25-26 night

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