CityScapes: Richards Town

A Park in Richards Town

A passageway from Cantonment to new layouts
Times of India

Bangalore: Richards Town, once an upmarket Cantonment address for colonial British army officers, is now a virtual passageway between the heart of the city and dozens of BDA Layouts. Change is obvious here — prime British bungalows are being razed down and replaced by swanky apartments.

Richards Town is sandwiched between Bangalore East Railway Station and tiny ‘culvert exits’.
A landmark and historic cemetery was levelled here in the late 70s and early 80s and converted into a modern layout — Lazar Layout. It was among the few layouts carved out by the BCC for its staff.

One tiny stretch of graveyard, however, holds out against the might of the BCC and government. This fenced stretch houses graves of members of a particular family. The story goes that this family held out like the mighty Gauls against the government when the other graves were razed. Today, they hold on to this portion of the cemetery defiantly.

A remarkable achievement of the Richards Town residents is a spanking new road, once a defunct storm water drain. The residents of Bangalore East Swabhimana Thrust (BEST) battled long and hard for over a decade to convert this stinking drain-cum-dumping yard into a road. Today it stands as a symbol of victory for the residents.

Another such symbol of triumph is the Richards Town Park, which was in a state of disuse and used as a den by drug addicts about eight years ago. Today, it is a fine park.

But Richards Town is not marked by just victory symbols — there are some of defeat too. The sheep market on the outer rim, with its stench and animal waste, is a grim reminder for the residents, who claim they have court orders to have it removed to the suburbs. Courts have specified that abbatoirs be located outside the city.

A second such symbol is a cluster of huts, which sprang up in the 80s on land that belongs to the government.
The third symbol of collective defeat is the encroachment of conservancy lanes. Residents have watched helplessly, and their concern is greater because these lanes house sewage, water and power lines.

Important landmarks here are the Holy Ghost Church, one of the city’s larger churches, Alphonsus School, a charitable institution which accommodates slum children from the adjoining Bagalur Slum, besides the Medico-Pastoral Association, which serves as a home for persons affected by mental problems.