Call it a gift in the run-up to the birthday of the township’s founder. A triangular traffic island near the statue of Bidhan Chandra Roy that had been lying in disrepair for several years has been beautified.

The island is located near Unnayan Bhavan and had been overgrown with grass and weeds. The brickwork at its base was falling apart and it had become an eyesore.

Ahead of Doctor’s Day on July 1, the civic body spruced up the island using a variety of coloured tiles that resemble bamboo shafts. Fresh soil has been added on top of the island and overgrown weeds and bushes have been cleared to make way for a landscaped garden.

Several varieties of plants including leafy palm trees and foxtail trees have been planted to give the island a green cover. The cement work has also got a fresh coat of paint and railings installed on top of it. Lights have been placed on the island’s perimeter.

“It is good to see the civic body finally take note of the worn down island as it is located right beside the statue of the man who envisaged the township,” said Soumyajit Raha, a lawyer who practises at the court in Mayukh Bhavan, a stone’s throw away from the island.

According to corporation sources, the “beautification” was arranged in a hurry after mayor Sabyasachi Dutta spotted its condition while travelling by it recently. Several residents had also complained. 

“We did it on a shoe-string budget and completed work within one week,” a corporation engineer said.

The mayor said he was relieved that the island was beautified. “This is in a way paying homage to the great man,” he said.