CV Raman Nagar shows why planning makes living good

CV Raman Nagar shows why planning makes living good
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Get past the main gate and well-laid out roads, wide footpaths, neat walkways leading to apartments and clearly painted signboards greet you. Welcome to C.V. Raman Nagar, home to scientists, technicians and staff of India’s research and development hub.

The plethora of lush green gardens and unsullied roads is not something that can be associated with the current form of Garden City. But a group of residents in C.V. Raman Nagar have created a little heaven on their own.

The DRDO Township is home to over 2,000 residents, including some high achievers. But the aura of this place stubs everything else onto the backfoot.

The township is divided into phase I and II. The well-trimmed gardens with passage for joggers, the huge parks and playgrounds for children, easy accessibility to banks and petrol pumps are a relief to most. One man who deserves the credit for all the good work is Estate Manager Lt. Col. M.G. Thimmaya. When he took up this assignment in 2001, he was perturbed by the thick jungle surrounding the colony and took the initiative of making this a better place to live.

He says: ‘‘The first step was to clear some trees for the layout and apartments. Once that was done, the area was levelled and roads were laid.’’

To restore the lost greenery, he planted nearly 300 saplings. He says: ‘‘Laying of saplings was well-planned. The length of the plants was a major concern, hence we planted trees that were of particular height.’’ He has also planted 1,000 teakwood trees.

Residents are happy too. Tamil Mani, a proud resident, says: ‘‘Forget the good looks, I can leave my family alone for any number of days as the security here is at its best.’’

Though not a fully restricted area, the security guards here keep a check on intruders and maintain a record. ‘‘No one can walk here easily. But outsiders do come for morning walks and some use these roads to go to Old Madras Road and Marathahalli. This is the only problem,’’ says Thimmaya.

For children, this is just the place. Every block has a park with the usual swing, see-saw and playthings. For elders, there is synthetic tennis court, indoor badminton, and cricket and football grounds.

Thimmaya will soon start the Railway Over Bridge (ROB) work that will connect phase I and II. A tech-park in phase III is also on the itinerary as well.