The car park at Regal junction in front of the Regal cinema at Colaba was site for a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. A compact gathering of persons, including some interested drivers peeking out from the parked cars at the roundabout, watched as local leaders signalled project take off. The initiative was a proposed facelift of Regal and Churchgate junction, “to do both, shine the spotlight on some heritage features of the precinct and make it pedestrian-friendly,” said corporator Harshita Narwekar.

Harshita added, “While we say Regal and Churchgate, the plan will incorporate all the traffic junctions in this area. We have a tentative timeline of two months.” Harshita gestured towards work on at a traffic island just across the Regal parking lot. “The traffic island is being readied for the installation of the model of the INS Vikrant ship, India’s gallant warrior of the seas, which is creating a real buzz in this neighbourhood. That feeling of excitement and anticipation should now spill over to this precinct project,” she said.