Biratnagar, Feb. 6: RK City Centre opened four years ago with an investment of Rs. 1.25 billion in Hatkhola of Biratnagar is about to close and investors are preparing to operate a hospital in the structure built for the Centre.

The 8-story building with a basement area of 50,000 square feet came into operation in February 2020. Apart from the ground floor and the first floor of the City Centre, six floors are being vacated.

The readymade clothes and shoes are put up for sale offering 50 per cent discount. Employees said that there is a daily turnover only of Rs. 5,000 as customers stopped coming. 

The management of the City Centre has already sold various items, including kitchenware, furniture, home décor and electronics with a huge discount offer. The swimming pool on the eighth floor and the multiplex cinema hall on the sixth and seventh floors never came into operation, and the restaurant on the top floor of the City Centre has been closed.

RK City Centre began operating in partnership with paediatrician Dr. Subodh Sharma, the owner of RK Children’s Hospital, and businessman Sunil Sharma.

Investors said that when a structure built for one purpose failed to do well, they forwarded the scheme of operating a multi-purpose hospital in the structure built for the mall.

Investor Sunil Sharma said they have made up their mind to use the same building for a hospital. A commercial mall named Nepal Bazaar was opened at Mahendrachowk, and after its closure, the structure has not been rented out yet. After the Nepal Bazaar in Biratnagar, the RK City Centre is on the verge of shutting down.

Prakash Mundada said that 30 per cent of the shutters of the central mall of Biratnagar are empty. Although RK City Centre and Nepal Bazaar are about to close, Bhatbhateni Super Store is doing good business and a new business complex named New Centurion Mall is under construction. He expressed his belief that Central Mall will return to normal as the situation eases.