Lucknow, Jun 8 (IANS): Shopping malls opened on Monday in Lucknow but shops inside the malls remained closed.

The Adarsh Vyapar Mandal said that majority of the shops in malls did not reopen on Monday in support of their demands.

Adarsh Vyapar Mandal state President, Sanjay Gupta, told IANS that the shop keepers wanted the mall owners to waive off the rent and common area maintenance fee for the lockdown period.

He said that shops would remain closed until their demands are met.

"The shop keepers also want that the rent and maintenance fee for the next 12 months should also be reduced since all shop keepers have suffered losses during the lockdown. They are not in a position to pay exorbitant rents being charged by malls," he said.

Gupta further said that if the shop keepers leave the shops, they lose the considerable amount they have spent on decoration and remodelling of the shop.

"Customers are few and the shop keepers will not register good sales. If they are asked to pay huge amounts as rent, they will end up suffering more losses," he said.

The Vyapar Mandal has sought the intervention of the government in the matter.

"Till the matter is resolved, the shop in malls will not open," he said.

He said that apart from Lucknow, shops in malls in Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Noida also remained closed on Monday.