Vijayapura: With mercury levels soaring up, the Vijayapura City Corporation has come up with an initiative to provide shades to commuters at traffic signals.

For the past three weeks, the temperature has been anywhere between 38 to 41 degrees Celsius in the morning hours in the city. This harsh climate has exhausted people. To provide shade for the commuters standing in traffic signals for more than two minutes, the city corporation has come up with a plan to fix green sheets at selected junctions.

The authorities have installed green sheets at the following busiest junctions Basaveshwar Circle, near Bus-stand and Gandhi Chowk in the city. This initiative came after several bikers fainted due to heat at traffic signals. This green cover is being set-up for the past four years during summer only, however, in the last two years, due to Covid-19 induced lockdown, the authorities had not installed them.

Vijay Makalaki, commissioner of city corporation, said that, “The main intention is to provide shade for the commuters at traffic signals. People have to wait at least 100 seconds in each signal in this soaring temperature. There are chances of people fainting. If we provide shades people can wait for a longer time without worrying about the mercury levels.”

“This initiative is costing us anywhere between Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 6 lakhs. The entire cost is being funded from the treasury of the city corporation. We have taken the entire set-up on a rental basis. Once the rainy season starts, we will take them away. We don’t have any plans about fixing them permanently. If necessary, we will install them in more junctions,” stated commissioner Vijay.

Meanwhile, people are applauding the initiative of the city corporation. It is the first of its kind initiative in the state.

“It is a people friendly initiative by the city corporation. It was the need of the hour in all the main junctions because mercury levels are soaring up every day. These green covers will not only give shade but also give relief for a couple of minutes while standing in the traffic signals. The authorities should set-up more such green covers in crowded places,” appealed Asif Ali.