BENGALURU: Lokesh Reju, a resident of Okalipuram, rued, “We started our battle to save a civic amenity site when we were young, now we have retired from jobs, but the battle is still on despite High Court orders”. He is one of the petitioners who fought a prolonged battle to ensure that the civic amenity site is protected from encroachment, on survey number 67, spread across half an acre in Okalipuram next to Lakshman Rao Park.
Reju said that the land in contention is a civic amenity site and was marked for a park but has been encroached upon for residential purposes. “We are now requesting Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials to vacate the CA site as much as possible and restore the original park space,” he said.
The residents said that they had knocked on many doors to get the space. But now since most have become senior citizens, having an open space is all the more essential. “Since the area is a CBD area there is space crunch and demand for residential space is very high. But the government must ensure that all basic civic facilities are created and well-maintained.
The land in contention was declared a CA site by the Bangalore Development Authority,” said Prakash M, another resident, who is also a petitioner. Reacting to the issue, a senior BBMP official, requesting anonymity, said that the matter will be heard at length before the court before a final decision is taken.