Ahead of PM’s visit, Mysuru’s Central Business District gets a facelift

Mysuru: Parts of Mysuru Road in the heart of the city, footpaths and stone balustrades around Mysuru Palace are being asphalted ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city to participate in the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
The government has sanctioned funds to beautify the places where the PM is expected to visit and keep the vicinity clean and tidy.
Modi will stay overnight at a private hotel on Mahatma Gandhi Road near ML Somasundar Circle and take part in the yoga event at Mysuru Palace.
An employee of the private hotel says the PM’s visit has helped hundreds of road users of MG Road, which was seeking attention for years. The road surface was uneven near the hotel causing hardship to two-wheeler users. Even the vacant sites in the surroundings are being cleared of weeds and levelled. Even Bengaluru-Nilgiri (Mother Teresa road) near Jayachamarajalendra Wadiyar circle that was in bad condition too has been asphalted.
A tourist guide said, “At a few places, footpath tiles had collapsed and damaged near Mysuru Palace and it was not attended to. Now they have been repaired and balustrades that had collapsed too are being repaired. What prevented authorities from taking up the works earlier?”
Mayor Sunanda Palanetra said the model code of conduct, which is force due to the council polls, has tied the hands of the corporation to take up any civil works. “Once the election process is over on June 18, all civil works will be taken up immediately. With the PM visiting Mysuru, the government has sanctioned special funds for essential civil works,” she said.
Rs 10 crore sanctioned
Mysuru City Corporation commissioner G Lakshmikantha Reddy told TOI that the government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for select civil works, under a special scheme, ahead of the PM’s visit and work is under progress.