The curtain finally came down on Plaza on M.G. Road with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) taking possession of what was once the movie buff's favourite hangouts.
Where once passersby stopped to gawk at posters of coming attractions, they paused mid-stride on Friday night to glance at a board that read ‘Bangalore Metro'.
The 70-year-old building will make way for a state-of-the-art station on the seven-km Reach 1 of the Metro Rail connecting M.G. Road and Byappanahalli. BMRCL sources told The Hindu that construction of the station concourse will commence shortly.
Inspection
“We will start demolition — depending on the site conditions — on Saturday or Sunday. The site engineers will undertake an inspection on Saturday to ensure that the demolition does not affect the structures nearby,” sources said.
The state-of-the-art station will have a concourse and will be connected to platforms on the opposite side of M.G. Road via a skywalk. The station will have entrances from both M.G. Road and Church Street.
The owners of Plaza had filed writ petitions challenging its acquisition by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board.
A Division Bench of the High Court, comprising V. Gopala Gowda and N. Ananda, had dismissed the petition.
The Bench also turned down their request to retain the first floor of the theatre.
