BMC malls will serve people, not make profits: official

Mumbai, June 8 (UNI) The malls to be constructed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be for the masses and not be a profit-making agency, said Manu Kumar Srivastava, Additional Municipal Commissioner (special projects).

At a weekly news conference here today along with BMC Commissioner Jairaj Phatak, Srivastava said the malls are nothing but an extension of the BMC markets in the city.

He said the BMC malls will be called M3 or the Municipal Malls for the Masses.

''It has been called malls because like a mall it will have all the things under one roof and will have a very good friendly atmosphere,'' he said.

Mr Srivastava said the BMC will start Adhar Kendra's or self-help groups and will provide with incentives to small traders and businessmen and help women by giving them a platfrom to produce and sell their products.

The BMC will give incentives to skilled people like electricians or plumbers and maintain a data base of such people and provide their services to the needy households, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Phatak said the BMC malls will fulfill all the daily requirements of the masses and accomodate some of the licensed hawkers in the city.

''There are 25,000 licensed hawkers in the city and they cannot be accomodated in the malls and hence be adjusted in the hawking zone,'' he added.

UNI