Reliance World Plaza opens as RIL's ISCON mega mall in Ahmedabad is on verge of collapse!

By Rajiv Shah

I was much amused to read the "visual story" about Reliance World Plaza put open in Mumbai. Top celebrities of Bollywood participated in the event. Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, others must be feeling great about it.

The event ironically took place a day after I visited ISCON mega mall in Ahmedabad. The mall, to put it mildly, is in tatters. Yes, it too is part of Reliance framework. It used to have some of the big names quoted in the Reliance World Plaza Mall visual story.

Once a throbbing attraction of Amdavadis, the ISCON mall's 70% shops are closed. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sealed several of the high profile shops of the Ahmedabad mall for failing to deposit tax. Even elevators and lifts are not working, hence senior citizens have to climb up on stairs, which are dirty. Its passages are dark, as there are no lights there.

ISCON mall used to have an excellent food court, a bakery shop. Nothing of it exists now. Do Mukesh Ambani and other businessmen think that there is no point in investing in Gujarat, where only politically driven investment (under pressure, like in GIFT city) is possible? Let them have the last word!

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