No Hope? Posh Mkt With Country’s First Multiplex Struggles To Survive

Locals, Traders Allege Market Hasn’t Undergone Any Revamp Unlike Many Other Hubs

- Vibha Sharma

New Delhi: The Saket Community Centre was once a tony hub of entertainment, its pride being PVR Anupam, India’s first multiplex, opened in 1997. The electric blue façade of the theatre attracted young revellers and families alike and the small market became a cosy den of leisure and entertainment. And while the multiplex itself opened anew in 2021 after renovation, there has been no makeover for the now decaying commercial centre.

TOI visited the place recently and found the Anupam complex nailing the lie of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that it had taken measures to improve cleanliness and maintenance in the city’s prominent markets. The tiling was in a decrepit condition, the pavements were encroached, there was malodorous garbage spilling out from the dumps and the pleasing fountain hadn’t spewed water for years. The once-green spaces in the market were all barren.

Residents living in the vicinity of the complex and the traders’ association claimed that for over a decade, there has been no renovation of the market. “Unlike Basant Lok market, ours wasn’t fortunate to have been earmarked for a revamp despite its location in a posh area,” said Suresh Kaul, president, Saket Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association.