Bangalore's Kumaraswamy Layout’s parks cry for attention

Residents of Kumaraswamy Layout should feel privileged. Their locality has a park that extends over 7.22 acres. Only, ask residents, and they will probably not be able to tell where the park begins, and where it ends — there is rampant encroachment.

Construction continues five years after the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) handed over the land for the park to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

As the BBMP’s standing committee on horticulture attempts to make a park of this dilapidated space, it grapples with ways to contain encroachment. “We cannot do anything about temples that have already come up. We will make sure that no new construction occurs,” says K Ranganna, chairman of the standing committee on horticulture. The committee has no data of the extent of encroachment.

At the time of handing over the park to the BBMP, the BDA had already earmarked three acres for the construction of temples.

However, the temples for which land was sanctioned have now taken up more space than originally allotted. “We plan to fence the structures, to make sure there are no illegal extensions,” said Sanjeev Kumar, assistant engineer for parks, south zone, BBMP.

In 2008, the BBMP had undertaken fencing work at a cost of Rs45 lakh. That, however, was no impediment to the expansion of space taken up by temples. Even as BBMP engineers arrived for an inspection, labourers continued to work on the site.

Walking tracks and a play area for children are planned within the park. The standing committee has directed Kumar to engage a consultant to present a detailed report on works to be undertaken.

The BBMP commissioner recently approved a sum of Rs75 lakh for work to be undertaken on the park. “But that sum won’t do, it will take at least a few crores for the rocky land, with several undulations, to be landscaped into a park,” said Subbanna DM, superintendent of horticulture, south zone II.

So why was this park neglected all these years? “This is a very big project. There is much work to be done. The encroachment was difficult to contain,” says Suresh H, corporator of Kumaraswamy Layout, offering an explanation. Kumaraswamy Layout is known by the name of ‘Park Suri,’ the corporator said.