The bustling Shivajinagar Bus Stand, along with the garbage-strewn area around it and the neglected playground in the vicinity, are all set for a makeover.
Plans to uplift this area have always been in the works and multiple civic agencies have finally come together to make it happen under the Smart City project.
This proposal is part of the seven area-based development projects under the BBMP’s proposal, which got Bengaluru into the Smart City list.
The narrow, ill-planned Shivajinagar Bus Stand is proposed to be expanded in the existing terminal itself, to ensure maximise utilisation of the available space.
“There is a building adjacent to the BMTC bus stand in Shivajinagar. That will be brought down and the playground will be revitalised and there will also be commercial spaces that will be constructed, which will face Meenakshi Koil Street,” said Nithya of Jana Urban Space, the consulting agency, which has planned the project.
In addition, the Metro Station, which is coming up at Shivajinagar, will also be connected to the bus stand and pedestrian bridges will connect the bus stand to Bowring Lady Curzon Hospital and Russel Market.
The plan to revitalise the area is estimated to cost Rs 140 crore and the BBMP, BMTC, BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited), Bescom, BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) and the Bengaluru Traffic Police will be working together for the project.
“The initial plan was to redo the bus stand and the playground separately. But the new plan is better because there is a building in between, which is crumbling, which can be put to use by bringing down the wall between the ground and the bus stand, and connecting the two spaces through a walkway. The entire area is meant only for pedestrians. The shops, which are on the ground floor, will be moved to the upper floors and the playground will also have space for seating,” said BBMP Commissioner, Manjunath Prasad.
He said that the new proposal will offer more space for the bus stand and more bus bays can be added, as BMTC is planning to introduce electric buses in the future.
According to Pradeep Singh Kharola, director of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the Shivajinagar Metro Station will take about two-and-a-half years to construct as it will be an underground station and the agency is in the process of acquiring land on Meenakshi Koil Street, for it.
The proposed metro station will be constructed below the playground and will be connected to the bus stand as well. A huge walkway will connect the bus stand to Russel Market, and also the church and temple located in the vicinity.
In addition, the BBMP Commissioner said that the playground will also have an open-air theatre and a commercial centre.
“A team of 13 officials, which will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Mahendra Jain, has been formed for ensuring that the project meets its deadlines. The team has hired Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka Limited – iDeCK – to prepare the detailed project report,” he added.
iDeCK will also prepare the tender document and supervise the implementation of the project.
Pictures: Jana Urban Space