BENGALURU: Bolstered by the positive response to making Church Street pedestrian-friendly, government agencies are working towards implementing a similar project in Gandhi Bazaar. The aim is to start work from March on the project, which was also a part of the chief minister’s Mission Bengaluru document.
The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and BBMP are involved in the project and the estimated cost is around Rs 28 crore. The BBMP is putting in Rs 6.93 crore. DULT officials said their organisation will give all technical and financial support. The final drawings are being submitted to the government for finer corrections, after which it will be placed before the public. After considering people’s suggestions, the project will be started.
“Since it is a people’s project, we want to rope them in at every stage. While some are keen on this project, others are not. It was the same with Church Street too. We are holding meetings with local residents to explain the project and convince them. The drawings and designs will be shown to them,” said a senior DULT official.
The agencies are taking the help of former corporators and ministers to reach out to locals and commercial establishments. They are also asking influential commercial establishment owners to help them. The DULT official said that unlike in Church Street, where cobble stones have been used, in Gandhi Bazaar, the roads will be white topped, because of the type of stores situated here and easier maintenance.
White topping and laying of public utility lines will be done by different civic agencies under the guidance of BBMP. The government is also looking at the suggestions of citizens and shoppers that Commercial Street too should be made pedestrian friendly. The renovation project at Commercial Street was taken up by the Bengaluru Smart City Limited and it opened for traffic movement recently with dedicated parking spaces.