Mysuru: The city is getting a makeover ahead of the Dasara celebrations, scheduled to begin on Oct 11, with the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) taking up a slew of civic and beautification works at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore.The works include road repairs, footpath development, park improvement, painting and support infrastructure for cultural programmes being organised as part of the festivities.The civic body has taken up works across the city, from arrangements for the 10-day drama festival at Town Hall to repairing potholes and damaged roads. Footpaths are being repaired, while interlocking paver blocks are being installed or replaced. Road medians and kerbs are also being improved.Kerbs, medians, zebra crossings, speed breakers, lamp posts and other roadside infrastructure are being painted to give the city a fresh look.Special attention is being paid to major Dasara routes and prominent locations, including the areas around Mysuru Palace, KR Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Bengaluru-Nilgiri Road, Irwin Road, Ashoka Road and Devaraja Road, among other important stretches.The civic works also include cleaning roads and footpaths, removing debris, repairing parks and playgrounds, and improving public spaces. Arrangements are being made for welcome arches, visitor seating, lighting, decoration and sound systems for Dasara events.MCC commissioner MK Savitha said the civic body would ensure adequate public toilets and drinking-water facilities for tourists.The MCC is also planning to beautify select parks through the PPP model. Some parks will feature colourful flower pots as part of a proposed flower show competition, she added.Residents fear unfinished worksHowever, many city residents fear that incomplete white-topping work will cause headaches, especially for those enjoying the Dasara illumination. They also fear that ongoing works at the Manipal Hospital junction may cause traffic congestion.“Our request to the city MCC is that it must also look beyond core areas to take up the road repair works,” said Panduranga Hegde, a resident from Sharada Devi Nagar.
