BENGALURU: The state horticulture department is working on a proposal to get archaeologically protected site tag for Lalbagh and Cubbon Park.
This comes at a time when the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Urban Development Department are keen on implementing Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s pet project, construction of a tunnel road, for which six acres of Lalbagh land will be used.
The tunnel road is likely to be drilled below the geologically protected Lalbagh Rock.
“While Lalbagh rock is geologically protected, the botanical garden is not. It was created by Hyder Ali in 1760s as his personnel garden. Then it was 40 acres. In 1856, 80 acres were added, and later more land was added by HM Marigowda in the 1980s. Kempegowda Tower inside Lalbagh is also declared as a heritage structure,” said a senior horticulture department official.
“We are now undertaking a tree canopy study inside Cubbon Park to increase plantations. We have added plumeria trees of 250 different shades of colours in the 197 acres. With this, Cubbon Park has become the richest plumeria germplasm in south India. We continue to get many proposals for construction and infrastructure works inside Cubbon Park. The archaeological tag will help protect Lalbagh and Cubbon Park for any works,” the officials added.
Devaraju A, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, said that Mysuru has declared 129 buildings as heritage and archaeologically protected but Bengaluru has none. “Two years back, we proposed to declare 39 buildings as heritage, apart from Lalbagh and Cubbon Park, but nothing moved forward,” he said.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has also listed 39 buildings to be protected in the city. “The lists included some schools, police stations and government offices. There is a provision under Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act to set up District Heritage Committees to identify and declare sites and buildings as heritage, but such a committee has not been formed in Bengaluru. Earlier the Bangalore Development Authority was to undertake the exercise. It has now been passed onto Greater Bengaluru Authority,” said another official with Department of Archaeology.
