The roar of dinosaurs inside South City Mall is now competing with the sound of horns and impatient commuters caught in long traffic snarls outside over the weekends and in the evenings.
Dino World, the dinosaur-themed attraction at the south Kolkata mall, has become one of the city’s biggest attractions this summer. The mall recorded a massive footfall from families, children and social media creators eager to film reels among life-size prehistoric creatures.
According to the mall, the footfall is ‘five times’ more than they expected. To manage crowds they have revised operational timings, changed the format of the attraction and introduced new crowd management measures.
Visitors, however, say the rush has often become unmanageable.
“I went there with my niece last Saturday and we ended up spending just five minutes inside. It was so crowded that we were feeling ill,” said Srabani Ghosh, a resident of Thakurpukur.
The attraction, which initially operated from 11am to 8pm, now has its structured activity windows on weekdays. According to recent notices by the mall, Dino rides and workshops are being held between 11am and 3pm from Monday to Thursday, while rides remain closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The entry fee has also been revised to Rs 333 plus taxes from May 28 onwards. It was initially Rs 199 plus taxes.
The rush around the mall has spilled onto Prince Anwar Shah Road and adjoining areas, especially during office hours in the evening and weekends.
“I commute from Jadavpur to Behala on a daily basis. The traffic condition in front of South City Mall has worsened these days, especially in the evening. There are crowds like Durga Puja,” said Anirban Nandi, a resident of Behala.
Several visitors said the attraction itself has impressed children, but the crowd has made the experience exhausting.
“My daughter is in Class V. I took her to see Dino World. Honestly, they have done a great job. But the rush is mad. Most people are going to make reels. And in this heat people have nowhere else to go. They are choosing malls, where there is AC,” said Rita Chatterjee, a resident of Jodhpur Park.
South City Mall management said to ensure customer safety and visitor experience, several operational measures have been introduced following the response.
“One of the key changes has been enclosing the experience zone, which was earlier more open in format. This has helped us create a more exclusive, streamlined, and enhanced experience for visitors while also enabling better crowd flow management,” the management said.
Mall authorities said additional parking arrangements had been made at the adjacent school premises and temporary parking access at the EEDF ground was also being supported during weekends to ease congestion.