Busy Church Street back to 'squalor one'

Being one of the busy streets in the City, its ensemble of eateries and slew of shops and premier tourist haunts woefully seems to be Church Street’s undoing.

As BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief Venkat Raju sardonically puts it, being the busy road is the reason no government agencies are given permission to carry out work. “The permission is not given because we need to close down the stretch till the work is completed,” says Raju, which speaks of the pathetic picture it presents even today despite several makeovers every once in a while.

That the street houses the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s office seems to drive the irony even further. For, Church Street, is in a state of utter mess, overflowing sewage raising a stink. 

That the best efforts of Ugly Indian, a group of anonymous people, to provide a facelift have come to nought speaks of the official apathy in finding a permanent solution.

The group, in order to make the street habitable, had painted some of the dirty walls, installed urinals, set up flowerpots and installed dustbins to check garbage.

In its emailed reply, the group bemoaned, “the condition of Church Street is depressing. Thankfully, the garbage situation, which is our focus, is under control.”

Ugly Indian said they have been told that Church Street was one of the 10 roads chosen for TenderSure, where all sewage and utility lines will be relaid and new road built (like Vittal Mallya Road). 

When the project will be put into motion one is unsure. Until then though besides jumping over the puddles of overflowing sewage, open manholes, donning facemasks to protect one from the stench is the best option.