Crowd gathers outside dona planet as gmc officials seal the mall on tuesday. picture by ub photos a staff reporter

April 24: The colourful poster of Housefull 2 stood out in sharp contrast to the stark emptiness of Dona Planet, which houses Cinemax, after the Guwahati Municipal Corporation sealed the premises this morning.

The GMC sealed Dona Planet for allegedly violating norms by utilising the parking area for commercial purposes.

The shopping mall, which is generally chock-a-block with shoppers, foodies and cinegoers alike, is the showpiece in the ABC area and bustles with activity from mid-morning till late in the night.

While a few youngsters did arrive, they retraced their steps once they realised that that the mall had been sealed off.

There was also less chaos on GS Road in front of the mall.

“I had instructed the GMC and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority to conduct a survey to ascertain how many buildings were violating the norm of using specific parking lots for something else. Despite being repeatedly warned, several of the erring buildings have failed to take the necessary steps to provide parking areas. Dona Planet was one such building, which had not adhered to the norms and hence, was sealed by the GMC,” said Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri.

“The parking area houses a wooden structure, whereas no such structure should have been built. If the entire space designated for parking is not efficiently used, people will have to park their vehicles on the roads and that chokes the roads,” said an official of the GMC.

Dona Planet is the seventh building to be sealed for violating the GMC Act after the five in Fancy Bazar early this month and the Poddar Car World on GS Road in Khanapara last week.

However, the Dona Planet Shop Owners Society claimed that the building has adequate parking space and that the GMC has sealed the building without warning.

“We have adequate parking space where more than 50 cars can be accommodated. It is true that we were served a notice in January, but we have replied to the notice in writing. If the GMC was not satisfied with our reply, it should have informed us. Without any warning it cannot seal the building in this manner,” said Anupama B. Deka, the general secretary of the Dona Planet Shop Owners’ Society.

“Moreover, we are not using the small space attached to the parking area for any commercial purpose. The wooden structure can be removed any time. This structure is used as an office by managers of the shopping mall and a closed-circuit television camera is installed inside it to enable security guards to keep watch,” she said.

“We did not know this place has been closed down, we came here to see Housefull 2 at Cinemax, but now we have to make some other plans for the evening,” said Anjali Sarma, who had come with her family from Beltola.

According to GMC officials, owners of the sealed buildings will have to present a rectification report before the corporation, explaining the action taken by them for creation of an underground parking lot. The corporation may then issue an order to open the area that they wish to develop into a parking space.

The entire sealed building will be opened only after the parking area is in place.

Save Guwahati Build Guwahati, a city-based NGO, welcomed the sealing of Dona Planet by GMC for violation of the parking norms.

The president of the NGO, Dhiren Baruah, demanded that the drive should be continued against all buildings violating the norms.