Complete Avenue Road works by March 31: Smart City chief

The Bengaluru Smart City Limited chief has asked the officials to finish the ongoing work of developing Avenue Road by March 31.

On Thursday, BBMP Administrator and Bengaluru Smart City Limited Chairperson Rakesh Singh who inspected the road on Thursday instructed the officials to expedite the work to meet the new deadline.

"Water pipelines have to be laid on both sides of the road and pavements have to be constructed. I have asked the officials to ensure that all the works are completed by the end of March," he said.

According to officials, 80% of the work on the 1.02-km shopping street has been completed. They are confident of finishing the remaining works by the end of March. "The water pipelines are set to arrive this week. Once they are laid, we will start constructing the footpath," said an engineer working on the project.

The work on Avenue Road started in January 2021 and has missed several deadlines. "Every time the traders complain, Smart City or BBMP officials inspect the stretch and assure us that the work will be completed soon. We hope the officials stick to their word this time," trade activist Sajjanraj Mehta said.

Smart City engineers have attributed the delay to the heavy crowds on the road. "It is hard to work on the stretch since there are shoppers and commuters milling about throughout the day. We are able to work only for 3-4 hours at night," an official said.

Traders have also requested the officials to provide ample parking space on the stretch. "The road width is uneven. While 40% of the stretch is wide, the other 60% stretch is narrow. We have assured them that we will provide parking wherever possible," said Vinayak Sugur, Chief Engineer, Bengaluru Smart City Limited.

This apart, traders have also asked officials to beautify the Doddapete junction. "We had planned to beautify it. We will work out the modalities soon," Sugur said.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: