Even fences are not safe in Cubbon Park

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE, AUG. 8. Cubbon Park, one of the City's few surviving lung spaces, is being threatened not only by pollution, but also by anti-social elements.

Take for instance, the costly fencing that is being put up around the park. According to sources in the Horticultural Department, Rs. 50 lakhs was deposited with the Public Works Department in 1999-2000 for the ``overall development'' of the park.

The portion of the park that comes on Kasturba Road, adjacent to the Venkatappa Art Gallery, has already fallen victim to anti- social elements. A part of the fencing there has been sliced off. The Horticultural Department has set up a makeshift bamboo fence in the area.

The Deputy Director, Cubbon Park, Mr. Narayana Swamy, said the department had to ``protect'' even the fences of the park. ``The fences add to the security and beauty of the park, but they are being targeted. In future, we will take more care to prevent this from happening,'' he told The Hindu.

According to Mr. Swamy, the entire park is to be fenced in accordance with a High Court order passed by Mr. Justice M.F.Saldanha a couple of years ago. ``Only the stretch between the K.R.Circle and the Gopala Gowda Circle remains to be fenced,'' he said.

The overall development of the park include chain link fencing, installing mosaic benches, laying cobble stones and enhanced security. Besides, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has already submitted a Rs 6.5-crore plan for a water recycling plant.

Mr. Swamy said that water became extremely scarce in the park in summer. ``The park requires at least 2.5 million litres of water every alternate day'' he said.

The park is unfortunately also being used as a ``garbage dump''. This is evident if one examines its less frequented areas. While Mr. Swamy agreed that dumping of garbage had been taking place, he said the department was unable to do anything because it lacked manpower.

``The situation will change because the Bangalore Garden Trust (BGT), headed by the Agriculture/Horticulture Secretary, and comprising the City Police Commissioner, the BMP Commissioner and other senior officials, has sanctioned more posts for the park administration,'' Mr. Swamy said.

Another sad development is that the park, which was spread across 300 acres of land when it was created in 1870-1875, has today shrunk to 193 acres. Encroachments, both legal and illegal, are to blame for this.

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