As part of the beautification programme, the KMC has identified five
traffic islands – Dasara Chowk, Aai Maharaj Chowk, Rajaram Maharaj
Putala Chowk, Tararani Putala Chowk and Kasbekar Putala Chowk. The work
at the Dasara Chowk has already started.

The KMC took the
decision after the private entities that had initially approached the
civic body for the work but only to withdraw later, refusing
responsibility for the maintenance of the traffic islands after
developing those.

City engineer Netradip Sarnobat said, “We
have allotted funds for the beautification of the traffic islands and
the statues at five places. We have started the work at Dasara Chowk.
Apart from landscaping, other necessary infrastructure would also be in
place at these facilities. We have planned fountains and patches of
grass at the traffic islands.” The KMC has made a budgetary provision of
Rs 20 lakh for the beautification work of these traffic islands.

There are about 12 traffic islands in the city and all of them have
statues of various leaders. The KMC, owing to paucity of funds, had
sought proposals from the private players to develop the traffic
islands. It got response from various private enterprises to develop
eight traffic islands.

“According to the terms and conditions,
it was mandatory for the private players to maintain the traffic islands
for 10 years since their development. The enterprises were supposed to
pay electricity and water bills for the electrification and fountains,
respectively. However, the firms said they would only develop the
traffic islands and it would be the civic body’s responsibility to
maintain those,” sub-divisional engineer Nirmale M N said.

The
KMC, however, refused to accept their proposal and allotted funds for
the work in this year’s budget. In 2002, the civic body had taken a
similar initiative and the traffic island at Shiroli Naka was developed.
But it was later removed as the road stretch came under the road development project undertaken by Ideal Road Builders.

“In the agreement made with the Ideal Road Builders as part of the
integrated road development project, the work of junction improvement
was its responsibility. But the work has not yet started,” a civic
official said on condition of anonymity. The road junctions that were
supposed to be developed by the IRB were the University Chowk, Dasara
Chowk, Rajaram Putala Chowk and the SIBER Chowk.