Loose cobblestones, and damaged footpaths and lights were some of the issues that required attention.
Credit: DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V
The first phase of the Church Street renovation, taken up by the UnboxingBLR Foundation, is headed for completion soon, CEO Malini Goyal told Metrolife on Wednesday.
Loose cobblestones, poorly maintained footpaths and a host of other issues were fixed. “The first phase of the project comprising civil works (repair) and replacing the damaged lights is due for completion before the first week of January 2025,” she stated.
In early November, it was announced that the Foundation would take over the maintenance of the 1 km-stretch for a two-year period. The project is the result of an MoU between the BBMP and the NGO, under the ‘Namma Bengaluru, Namma Koduge’ programme.
Though the initial plan was to wrap up the work before mid-December, it could not be completed in time. The road was chosen as one of the venues for Hubba in Your Streets (HYS), an event under BLR Hubba, which was held from November 30 to December 15. “Church Street was one of our original HYS locations. However, we ultimately organised HYS in other locations, including Sadashivanagar, Jayanagar, HRBR Layout and Koramangala,” Malini said.
They have currently moved on to horticulture work. When Metrolife took a walk down the street on Thursday afternoon, the saplings looked freshly planted. The plant bags which lay strewn around the plant beds the previous day had been cleared up. “Horticulture work will be completed in the next 4-6 weeks. We are also working on a comprehensive plan to improve the overall cleanliness and garbage disposal at Church Street. This will start yielding results in the next 3 months,” she shared.
She added that the project is being executed in phases and that the facilities are being upgraded in consultation with local residents and businesses, and relevant authorities. “We have phase-wise deadlines for different aspects of the facelift work,” she told Metrolife.
In-charge Zonal commissioner East Zone, Preethi Gehlot, was unavailable for comment.
According to architect Naresh Narasimhan, who is responsible for the design of the street, heavy vehicles like water tankers, RMC cement mixers, and trucks ferrying gas cylinders to restaurants are to blame for the damage, which warranted a renovation. “I have seen gas cylinders being dumped on the footpath and cobblestoned carriageway without any care. This has contributed to the dislodging of the cobblestones and damaging of the footpath granite slabs and tactile tiles,” he explained.
It’s been seven years since the fully revamped Church Street was first opened to the public. In the intervening years, basic repair work had been undertaken at regular intervals. However, this is the first time it is undergoing a major facelift.