The Buckingham Canal beautification project being executed below the elevated track of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is set to be completed by February and opened for the public from the first week of March.
The beautification project, which was launched in June last year and proposed to be finished in six-month’s time, had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ₹20-crore project being developed under the MRTS railway line from Thiruvanmiyur to Kasturibai railway station once completed is set to give a makeover to the Buckingham Canal and attract hundreds of visitors.
Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the beautification project, similar to the Mambalam Canal project, has been speeded up even as the civic body is fighting the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Bedi said the 2.1-kilometre project being executed in two phases by two contractors would make travelling on the Rajiv Gandhi Salai a pleasant experience, as the project involves setting up of a Miyawaki forest, installing bright streetlights, wall paintings, and laying a paved footpath.
Plans for more stretches
The civic body is planning to have more such scenic stretches in the coming years, he added.
The beautification project funded by Tamilnadu Urban Road Infrastructure Project (TURIP) and executed on both sides of the Buckingham Canal would feature dedicated a cycle track and walkway paved with paver blocks, a play area for children, green zone comprising Miyawaki forest with nearly 30,000 saplings in 9,000 square metres, and artwork on different themes would come up in the piers of the MRTS elevated track.
A senior official of the civic body said work on cycle track and footpath have already been completed along with the installation of ornamental streetlights. For the green zone, more than 30,000 tree saplings have been planted and artwork in the piers are in progress. Work would soon start for constructing a skating rink and also sculpture court, the official added.
Bid to attract commuters
The Rajiv Gandhi Salai, which starts from the Madhya Kailash junction and runs along the Buckingham Canal, being the Information Technology corridor is one of the busiest arterial roads in the city.
The stretch from Kasturibai station to Thiruvanmiyur station had remained poorly lit and was used for dumping construction debris. The beautification project would help in attracting a large number of people to commute in the MRTS section.
