BENGALURU: On February 2, a public consultation meeting was held in the presence of elected representatives and members of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to announce the plans of a facelift for Bengaluru’s lush green open space, Cubbon Park. Funded by Bangalore Smart City Ltd (BSCL), the Rs 40 crore project divided into two phases includes a long list of new additions ranging from designated jogging and cycling tracks, sensor dustbins to sound gardens and development of pathways.
For 20-year-old college student Sweta Chowdhury, the project sounds appealing but questions whether the upgradation of the space is the right manner of utilising funds. “The government should rather focus on the parts of the city which really need improvements such as the roads, traffic and various underlying issues instead of focusing on an already beautiful space,” she opines.
Anusha Patil, on the other hand, welcomes the initiative of adding dustbins and dedicated pathways to cycle on. At the same time the 22-year old worries whether the city is losing its charm. “Cubbon park gives an essence of old Bangalore, so I definitely dont like this idea of giving it a smart makeover. I Ofcourse think there should be dustbins and paths to cycle but they shouldn’t let go of its old Bangalore feel,” says the 22-year-old.
For historian Suresh Moona, a larger concern is retaining the historical facts in order to highlight the significance of the space. “Beyond being a green space where to spend time, Cubbon Park has many places which are historically significant and whose importance is still not known to the public. If one knows the significance of a certain place then it’s obvious that the developments will occur without damaging those elements.
Almost 90 per cent of the people who visit the park don’t know the fountain near the lawn tennis association is a contribution of the Queen of Nepal which was done during Sir Mirza Ismail’s time which was also the first musical fountain of the country,” says Moona who emphasised on the need to point out similar historical elements in order to make people aware of the significance the park holds. “Boards can be put up in the park with historical information and there are historians who can assist the authorities with this. I have emphasised these points for twenty years, including on Lal Bagh. Whether you make it a part of smart city projects or not, if one does not make the historical significance of a place known to the next generation then it cannot be preserved,” Moona says.