25 August,2026 11:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Abhitash Singh
Shopkeepers of Link Square Mall protest in Bandra West on Monday, demanding immediate structural repairs and reopening of the mall. Pic/Shadab Khan
Nearly 200 shop owners of Link Square Mall in Bandra West, including senior citizens and people battling serious illnesses, protested on Monday, August 24, demanding that structural repairs begin immediately, 16 months after a fire forced the mall's closure. The owners said they are ready to contribute towards the repairs if it helps reopen their shops.
The fire broke out on April 29, 2025. According to the owners, an insurance survey was conducted, but the claim process is yet to be completed, and structural repairs have not begun. Several shop owners said they have been without business income while continuing to pay loans and other expenses.
The owners said the fire originated from premises they said were owned by Zears Developers Pvt Ltd, the mall's developer. They also raised concerns over fire-safety arrangements, citing the Fire Department's May 2025 report, which, they said, recorded that the firefighting equipment was not operational and that information about the fire was communicated after a delay.
The owners said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued an order on August 1, 2025, requiring immediate structural repairs after considering structural audit reports. They also cited a Bombay High Court order dated October 13, 2025, directing the Deputy Registrar to examine the matter and take appropriate action.
Following the proceedings, a three-member Board of Authorised Officers was appointed on November 11, 2025, replacing the society's managing committee, according to the owners. They questioned why repairs have still not begun.
Slamming allegations made against him in connection with the delays in the mall's repairs, MLC Zeeshan Siddique stated that his family did not own the entire facility - as claimed by some - but only a few stores in it, and that his image was being maligned.
Zeeshan Siddique
"This is absolutely baseless. A handful of shop owners with ulterior motives do not want the mall to be developed for reasons best known to them. My family, not me, owns a few shops in the mall. We are suffering losses as well with the mall being shut and want it to be remade. How am I any sort of authority in the mall? Why is my name being dragged into this without any context? There is an administrator appointed for the mall; even this was requested by the same group of people trying to malign my image now. Just because I'm a public figure, a few of them want to garner attention by using my name," he said.
The owners said insurance claims worth an estimated R15-18 crore are still pending. They have appealed to the Maharashtra Government, BMC, Deputy Registrar and other authorities to complete the insurance process in a time-bound manner, secure society records and allow repairs to begin. Their demand, they said, is simple: repair the mall, reopen the shops and allow shop owners to resume operations.
Siraj Qureshi, owner, shop no. 24
âOur only demand is that the pending insurance process be completed and repairs begin immediately. We are ready to contribute towards the repairs. We just want our mall back.'
Ayesha Parvez Khan, another shop owner
âPeople bought these shops thinking they would become their security in old age. Today, some of them are coming here with walking sticks and in wheelchairs.'
Krishna Tamang, 65, owner, China Gate Group of Restaurants
âWe are not asking somebody else to pay for everything. Members are ready to contribute and undertake the structural repairs. All we need is a clear process and permission to move ahead.'
