The Hindu : Encroachments dash ex-Dewan's dreams

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Encroachments dash ex-Dewan's dreams

By Afshan Yasmeen

BANGALORE Feb. 8. The City celebrated the 126th birth anniversary of Mysore Nanjundiah Krishna Rau, former Dewan of Mysore state, today. But his dreams have remained a dream. And, the Sir M.N.Krishna Rau Park, named after him, is a mute testimony to this. Reportedly the "first women's park" in the country, its original 32 acres is now 22 acres.

The encroachers are private and State agencies -- the Basavangudi Police Station and police quarters, the DSERT building, the office of the BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer of Basavangudi, the Renukamma Temple, a gymnasium, and many clubs.

The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) calls them "legal" encroachments, but area residents, the Urban Research Centre (URC), and the Sir M.N.Krishna Rau Memorial Trust want them cleared. Besides, the plants, garden, and pavilion in the park have decayed and the eroded soil has left pits in parts.

The BMP's excuse is that they got the park in July 2000 and so need more time. The BMP's 2002-03 budget had set aside Rs. 33 lakh for park development. Only some fencing and three borewells (to pump water for rose and croton gardens), are visible. The High Court has even issued notices to the State Government and the BMP, on their neglect.

The park was inaugurated in the 1940s. Records say that after retiring as Dewan, Sir M.N. gave Rs 20,000 to the then Bangalore Municipality for a "women's park."

The money was to be spent thus: Rs. 10,000 on development, Rs. 9,000 for an amphitheatre to hold cultural programmes, the remaining Rs. 1,000 was for sports equipment, to convert a nearby municipal boys school into one for girls, and to build a women's hospital. The then Municipal Corporation contributed Rs. 3,600.

The park has no facilities, however. The URC says an NGO and a temple were the first encroachers, 48 years ago. A gymnasium, a sports club, two other clubs, and a training institute for film artists, came up later.

N.Udaysimha, the Dewan's grandson, who runs the trust, wants the encroachments cleared. "My grandfather's wishes must be honoured and the park's upkeep improved," he said.

But the V.V. Puram corporator, P.R.Ramesh, under whose area the park comes, claimed that the BMP had some plans. "We will develop a playground, a peripheral jogging track, a food court, and also plant Ashoka trees," he said.

Tenders would be called and the work would begin in mid-February, he said.

Mr. Ramesh blamed the Bangalore Agenda Task Force for the delay in developing the park.

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