It’ll be another trip on MGs

It’ll be another trip on MGs
It’s not just the promenade that’s going. The Metro will alter the shopping and chilling zones on MG Road as well
The TImes of India

BANGALORE’S Metro rail will change the scene on MG Road quite a bit for some time at least, and we are not talking only about the promenade that will do a temporary disappearing act. By the time the metro rail is in place, some familiar landmarks may disappear forever, some will rejavascript:void(0)
Publishlocate and make a re-appearance, while others will cope as best as they can even as they say it will hurt business.
For starters, Jamals will move some way down the road to Pavilion mall. The problem so far has been primarily that of parking, and with this stretch going to become a one-way with ‘no parking’ in the near future because of the rail, the proprietors think it best to make the move. Says Ameen Jamal, “We have also taken two garage spaces on rent at the new place so that our customers can park their vehicles.”
However, the other reason is that the old building will come down and a new one will come up in its place. So the stretch from GK Vale to Lakeview, will make way for a new structure. But sources say, they will all reappear at the old spot. Secretary, Brigades Shops and Establishments Association, Suhail Yusuf, thinks the metro rail “will turn MG Road into a graveyard. But we will try our best to have our customers continue to come to us,” he says.
Thallam Venkatesh of the Bombay Dyeing showroom too thinks the Metro will sound the death knell for many businesses on MG Road. Especially for the staff who work at these establishments. He says, “Businessmen will survive, but if the construction goes on for a long time, and some shops shut down, what about the hundreds of assistants who have been with shops for 20-30 years? They know no other job.”
But Machender Pishe, president, Bangalore Trade Association, says though the Metro will cause disturbance to established businesses, it spells development for the city. “We have to make adjustments.”
Restaurateur Gautam Krishnan Kutty, who runs two outlets on MG Road, has decided to “live with it.” He says, “It’s one of things you have no control over, so I’ll work around it. There’s not much I can do, we’ll ensure our clients still come. Short of relocating, there’s nothing else I can do. But I’m not relocating. We have to think of the
interests ”