BENGALURU: Many eminent citizens have joined hands with commoners to save the prime lung space in Bengaluru – Cubbon Park – by urging to make it a ‘No Traffic Zone’. Along with a signature campaign on Change.Org, members of Heritage Beku are also calling for awareness and attention of people. A letter
petition is being sent to horticulture minister, BBMP Commissioner and all other stake holders to stop the entry of vehicles.
“Cubbon Park, just like Lalbagh, should be a no vehicle zone. For three months there was no traffic movement on the roads inside it and the environmental space has only improved. Now with proper planning with the traffic police and experts, alternative roads can be thought of and improved, but the entry of vehicles should be stopped,” said architect Naresh Narasimhan.
In the campaign, citizens point that dramatic reduction in emissions and noise pollution has impacted flora, fauna and the city positively. Cubbon Park is a prominent piece of natural heritage in Bengaluru and it’s the single largest public lung space in an increasingly polluted city. So it is critical that it be declared as a ‘No Traffic Zone’, which facilitates only pedestrians, cyclists, electric golf carts and events, including cultural events, said designer Prasad Bidapa.
With the increasing instances of noise pollution, trees being damaged, loss of bird habitat, rash driving and heritage space being damaged, soon Cubbon Park will become a barren, full fledged thoroughfare, increasingly encroached by buildings and vehicles, dotted with only a few token trees, the petitioners noted. “We understand the government may find this uphill and try and drag their feet , given that the park is so close to heavy thoroughfare at Vidhana Soudha , MS Buildings and Govt offices. Even the move to declare Cubbon Park Traffic free on Saturdays and Govt Public Holidays (in addition to existing Sunday’s) had not been fully implemented by Traffic Police despite the Chief Secretary’s agreement to this decision (sic),” the petition stated.
The petition has also got the backing of citizens like IISc professor Ashish Verma; retired Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde; Sudeept Maiti, senior manager, Integrated Transport, WRI- India; transportation expert Vinobha Isaac; environmental consultant Luke Dhanaraj; architect and ecologist Neelam Manjunath; and Sonali Kulkarni, urban transport planner and director of Urbanmorph, BYCS-India.