Church Street 2.0; CM inaugurates revamped historic lane

City

The renovation of Church Street which began on February 22, 2017 was finally completed after missing many deadlines.

Bangalore, March 1, 2018: “You have heard about America’s Times Square…This will be Bangalore’s Times Square…,” said one of the speakers at the inauguration ceremony of Bangalore’s historic Church Street.

Shanthinagar MLA N.A. Haris said that he is happy that the project finally got completed despite the many delays. He added that they are planning to host carnivals and provide space for more shops along the stretch. But that would only happen after the state elections.

Running parallel to M.G. Road from Brigade Road to St. Marks Road, Church Street is a 750m stretch of narrow lane. . As reported earlier, a 450 metre stretch of the road was opened on January 1 this year.

Goa-based Kudroli Builders & Infrastructures Pvt Ltd. had taken up the project under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike’s Tender S.U.R.E programme.

Shop owners like the manager of 20 Feet High, bar and restaurant said they are happy that the work got over but seemed unsure whether this renovation will actually bring in new patrons.

Even regular users of the lane including Navin, who is an accountant at a nearby financial firm said that the street has some serious design flaws like the cobblestones which tend to get slippery and people may fall as they are uneven.

He added that the dustbins placed along the pavement are useless as they lack cover and are inconvenient for people to use. Naresh Venkataraman, the architect of the project said that the cobblestones might be degraded at some points but they do come with a year’s guarantee and he is hopeful that they will be replaced soon. He added that the dustins are “hideous” and the solid waste management department is solely responsible for that.

The condition of the street post the inauguration which had scores of supporters from the ruling party was rather poor with empty water bottles and  placards strewn all over the place.

 

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