Bengaluru: Church Street braces for 9-month disruption

Bengaluru: Traders on the busy Church Street are a worried lot as the traffic movement will be streamlined and no parking would be allowed as part of the Rs 9-crorre TenderSure work. The traffic curbs will be in force from Friday and traders are demanding that the BBMP should complete work at the earliest.

They are concerned as BBMP's has a very poor track record in this regard and the project may drag on for a year, thereby taking toll on their business. Many traders would be in dire straits their business suffers for a long period, they said.

Church Street Occupants Association Secretary Irfan Noor told Deccan Chronicle that Church Street is one of the oldest business hub in the Central Business District. Since it is located in the 'A' zone of the BBMP property tax bracket, the traders are forced to pay higher rent or taxes for their shops.

They have already been hit by the Central Government's recent demonetisation and if the traffic curbs are introduced for nine months or until the road is upgraded, the traders will lose business to a great extent, he said.

Church Street is home for 350 business activities, including hotels, shops and office space. The most affected will be hotels and shops. The BBMP authorities and local MLA N. A. Harris have been requested to put the project on fast track.

While upgrading the Church street to TenderSure specification, it will be a challenge for the civic body to identify and relay the utilities such as sewerage, water supply pipes, electricity and communication cables. These utilities were put way back in 1900 and it will not be easy to replace them, Noor cautioned.

A staff of the Empire Hotel was shocked, when he was told the traffic curbs will be on for nine months. He wondered how to make good for the loss for nine months with nearly 200 staff on board. He even asked if the BBMP has any plans to compensate for the losses incurred by the hotel.

Mayi Gowda, who owns Blossom Book House, welcomed the move to upgrade the Church Street, which is plagued with uneven pavements and leaking sewage lines, but he felt businesses will be hit hard. The BBMP must not shut down the entire road at once. The work should be taken part by part and parking facilities should be provided, he felt.

A traffic cop told Deccan Chronicle that so far no official communication regarding Church Street traffic curbs have been announced. He got to know only through the media. The traffic restrictions will be imposed only after they get orders from higher ups, he added.

The BBMP plans to upgrade pavements with a uniform carriageway through the stretch. There will be adequate pedestrian-crossing facilities along 715 715-metre-long road. The stretch will be lit with LED lamps.

Brigade road still in a mess
As if the mess on the Church Street is not enough, the BBMP has damaged the Brigade road too for laying sewerage lines.

Traffic flow has been affected badly and traffic policemen are having a tough time controlling the traffic. The left side of the road from Cauvery Emporium to Opera Theatre has been dug up for almost a month. A senior traffic cop said the BBMP contractor has been executing the work at a snail's pace. Unless the project is expedited, Bengalureans would have to suffer, he added.