BENGALURU: Not just children but even adults who grew up in Bengaluru in the 1980s will soon have an opportunity to relive their childhood and enjoy it with their children in the restored Bal Bhavan in City's prime lung space- Cubbon Park.
The Bal Bhavan Society and the Smart City Mission team is now working on re-creating Bal Bhavan the way it looked in the 1980s with a summer camp area and other means of entertainment like puppet show, toy train, boating, pond with aqua life and even a horse riding area. However one will have to wait till June 2022 to enjoy it all.
To get details of what was there in the 80s, the architects, engineers and Society members are studying photographs of those years, getting information from Society members, Cubbon park and heritage associations and even taking feedback from Bengalureans who grew up in their childhood in Cubbon Park.
Initially, when the project was conceptualised it cost Rs six crore, but the Society is yet to submit the complete plan to the Smart City team after which the project cost is likely to increase, said Bengaluru Smart City Mission Limited, Managing Director, Rajendra Cholan.
He added that the project was not a part of the Smart City works list also, it has been included only two months back and surveys have also started.
Society Chairperson Chikkamma Basavaraju told The New Indian Express that in the new plan, the landscape and basic structure will remain unchanged and only the models will change. The play equipment will have a mix of old and new ones with the grass and sand to remain the same for children to touch and feel. The toy train and the station will be redone and an online ticketing system will also be introduced. The island and boating will also be introduced. The same space for summer camps and shows will be re-created. Improved benches for parents to sit and enjoy with family will be put up. The walking track will have pebble stones, so that toddlers and senior citizens can walk without problems.
She added that as many rides and amusements were already broken, the others started to wither after they became rusty. So everything is being removed and redone. The aim is to make the space a national level one based on the old structure.
The two departments will also have talks with activists, experts and conservationists on introducing horse riding in the area, as it was earlier. Most importantly they're now keen to check the feasibility of the plan.