Bengaluru: More than 125 volunteers took part in a clean-up and beautification drive at Silk Board junction Saturday, clearing waste, repainting flyover pillars and constructing a 100-metre-long footpath linking Central Silk Board Metro Station to the junction.The drive was organised under GBA’s Clean Bengaluru and Safe Footpaths campaigns. It was part of a CSR initiative by the Canadian IT firm CGI and its employees volunteered with their families, Bengaluru South City Corporation and NGO India Rising Trust.Besides clearing legacy waste and removing posters and dust from flyover pillars and stormwater drain walls, volunteers repainted pillars of double-decker flyover in shades of purple.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
A key component of the project was construction of a two-metre-wide, 100-metre-long footpath that fills a missing pedestrian link between the Metro station and the junction.Arun Pai, coordinator of Project Walkaluru, said, “This 100-metre stretch of ‘missing footpath’ was a critical gap in this multi-modal transport hub, endangering pedestrian safety. It is such a joy to see them now walk safely,” he said.Aniruddha Abhyankar, chief design officer of India Rising Trust, said the junction was one of the city’s most challenging public spaces. “This is a very chaotic, unsafe area with multiple pillars, several roads intersecting, ongoing Metro construction, an open stormwater drain, and lots of heavy traffic and dust. Our design philosophy is to provide a calming effect with neat, simple and orderly patterns,” he said.The initiative is part of an ongoing partnership between Bengaluru South City Corporation and CGI to improve public spaces across the city through CSR initiatives.
