BANGALORE: Civic bodies in the city seem to be in full swing as everyone is anticipating the much talked about inauguration of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s long awaited service. After much anticipation the metro will finally kick start on October 20 with much fan fare and in the presence of renowned dignitaries. T Chowdaiah Road, one of the busiest and an important road is also seeing a makeover as the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is busy beautifying the city. The Palike is re-asphalting roads, cleaning and clearing pavements and painting dividers in the process. The pavements on Chowdaiah Road are also being redone. Footpaths on either side of the road are seeing development work. While the slabs from the footpath on the side of Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain have completely been removed, percolation pits are being constructed on the pavement adjacent to Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. Though the Palike is relaying the pavements in a bid to give the area a ‘better look’, they seem to have forgone the inconvenience caused to the pedestrians. Many areas on the footpath one can find slabs and cement blocks placed callously, forcing the pedestrians to walk on the busy road.Upon questioning about the change, BBMP chief engineer, East zone, Krishna Swami said that the Palike is ‘doing quality work now’. The engineer’s words make one ponder that if the Palike is doing ‘quality’ work now, what were they doing before? Clarifying the engineer mentioned that the work was under taken to ensure that the city looks ‘fit’ for the visit of the dignitaries who will be visiting the city for the inauguration of the metro. “Apart from clearing all the localities surrounding the metro project, we are also inspecting arterial roads and other important localities in the city,” he added. Apart from levelling the ground and relaying the pavement slabs, the Palike is also constructing percolation pits around the trees on Chowdaiah Road. “After the work is done, the footpaths will be levelled and the trees on them will also have percolation pits. The work should be completed within the next 15 days,” he further added. When questioned about the estimate of the development work in his zone, the engineer said that no budget has been prepared for the work yet. “Once all the work is done we will figure out how much of the cost the BBMP will bear and how much would be contributed by the BMRCL. As of now, no budget or estimate has been prepared,” he informed.
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