BENGALURU: Benches in Lalbagh that are broken will be replaced by granite seats at a cost of Rs 2 crore soon. The broken benches caught the attention of MLA Uday Garudachar, who raised the issue with Horticulture Minister Munirathna Naidu. Garudachar, under whose Assembly segment Lalbagh falls, had noticed the old and dilapidated benches made out of cast iron.
He requested Rs 2 crore, but Naidu suggested seeking Rs 5 crore for the overall development of the historic park. “On August 5, Munirathna and I boarded an electric buggy along with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and went on a ride around the park. I showed Munirathna the broken benches. After it was pitched with the chief minister and Rs 5 crore was sought, he agreed to release Rs 2 crore. The grant may come anytime and stone benches will be in place by the Republic Day Flower Show,” he said.
Munirathna too confirmed that new granite benches will come up at Lalbagh soon. A senior official from Lalbagh, however, said stone benches could trigger a controversy and earn the wrath of green warriors. “Old benches made of cast iron are good, and many visitors have sentiments attached to them. Instead of granite benches, the old benches should be altered and repaired. All these suggestions will come up before the Lalbagh expert committee before any decision is taken,” the official said.
After the successful Independence Day Flower Show, the authorities were busy cleaning the park and moving the statues and busts of Dr Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar that were sourced from different parts of state.