Phase II development plan for Bugle Rock Park gets under way

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JULY 22. Bugle Rock Park -- one of the City's oldest attractions entered into its second phase of development on Sunday morning.

And the Union Tourism Minister, Mr. Ananth Kumar, was present to see how the Rs.10-lakh from his MP Local Area Development Scheme was being used to develop the 7.6-acre park on Bull Temple Road, Basavangudi. On Sunday, the Minister laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the park's development.

The park's development has taken quite a while to reach the present stage.

Mr. Ananth Kumar -- who is the Bangalore South MP -- had inspected the park in November last year and sanctioned Rs.10 lakh from his MP discretionary funds. The State Tourism Ministry had even okayed a Rs.1-crore Bangalore Mahanagara Palike proposal for the park.

On Sunday, the Basavangudi corporator, Mr. B.S.Sathyanarayana told The Hindu that phase one had till then, cost Rs.16 lakhs. ``Of this, Rs.10 lakhs was from the MP discretionary funds and Rs.6 lakhs from the BMP,'' he said.

The corporator explained that the BMP had further granted Rs.15 lakhs for fencing and laying a footpath/jogging track in the park. Though this was part of phase one, work had been delayed because of the State Government's new Transparency in Public Procurements Act. ``The tendering process is being done and work will start next week,'' he said.

Mr. Sathyanarayana said that Phase II would be sanctioned Rs.10 lakhs from the State Tourism Department and Rs.40 lakhs from the Central Tourism Ministry.

He added that the money would be used to build entrance arches, a musical fountain, three-four smaller fountains and also be used in landscaping the park.

The morning's function also saw a few pro-Kannada agitators indulging in a small skirmish. After the Union Minister unveiled the foundation stone, some people were angered by the fact that the lettering on the stone was in English, not Kannada. They were reportedly pacified by an assurance that Kannada would be used in the future.

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