Dona Planet reopens its doors on Thursday evening. Picture by UB Photos

May 3: Dona Planet — one of the popular shopping malls in the city — reopened its doors to shoppers today after it was sealed by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) on April 24 for violating parking norms.

The mall reopened around 5.30pm after Gauhati High Court ordered de-sealing of the building.

The court passed the order after the high court-appointed Advocates’ Commission — comprising advocates J. Roy and B.D. Goswami — inspected Dona Planet this morning and submitted a report in court.

The commission, in its report, also expressed satisfaction at corrective measures taken by the Dona Planet Society — an association of co-owners and shopkeepers of the mall — by demolishing some unauthorised structures, thereby creating additional space to park cars.

The court forwarded the report to GMC commissioner Puru Gupta through the corporation’s standing counsel in the high court, D. Saikia, to de-seal the shopping mall.

A GMC official said additional space to park 28 cars has been created.

The civic body sealed the shopping mall on GS Road for violating parking norms and using the space meant for parking of vehicles for commercial purposes.

According to the GMC, inadequate car parking on the mall premises was causing traffic congestion along GS Road which runs in front of the mall.

The high court had asked the mall management to take corrective measures by creating more space after the Dona Planet Shop Owners’ Society moved a petition in the high court on April 26.

The petitioners said GMC’s move had resulted in loss of business for the shopowners.

The court later appointed the Advocates’ Commission to carry out an inspection and submit a report in court, stating whether the corrective action taken by the mall management is satisfactory or not.

The mall management was utilising a corner of the parking area in the basement to house an office for managers and had installed closed-circuit television cameras.

The GMC had served a notice to the shopping mall in January this year, directing it to convert the entire area into a parking space.

The sealing of Dona Planet by the GMC had become a talking point in town.

Hundreds of people throng the mall every day as Cinemax — a leading multiplex chain in the country — besides some popular fine dining restaurants are located in the shopping mall.