By Sheela Narayanan

YOU may have noticed it by now, while tucking into your chaats at Bombay Cafe in Syed Alwi Road: Mustafa Shopping Centre is adding another building to its footprint.

According to the information board outside the construction site, it will be a six-storey commercial building with four basements and the multi-million dollar project is slated to be finished by Aug 8, 2010.

When contacted, Mustafa's spokesman was tight-lipped over the details and refused to comment as were its architects and contractors. However, the sign at the site very clearly signals that the project is part of Mustafa and talk on the ground has it that it will be an extension to the current shopping complex, the fourth such extension Mustafa has undertaken.

This is making Mustafa regulars smile, but they do have a wishlist: More shopping space and more parking spots.

Homemaker Pooja Chandiramani told tabla! that more parking spots might help ease the weekend shopping crowd. "It gets so crowded that there is hardly any parking in the shopping centre. Last weekend, I was stuck behind 12 cars, all waiting for a parking space," she said.

She also hopes that, with more space, Mustafa will take the opportunity to re-organise the sections to make it easier on the shoppers: "The household section is on one floor, groceries is on another. It gets very confusing."

And, oh yes, how about another taxi stand for shoppers without cars?

Teacher G. Nair said the current taxi stand, which is located in Serangoon Road, is just too far for shoppers who are grappling with heavy shopping trolleys or big travelling bags.

He would also like to see the goods sold on the walkways moved to the new building when it opens.

"It gets very congested on the pathway now that they are selling bags of onions and potatoes. I hope they move them to the new building, just to control the crowd better," he added.