Freedom Park: A dream melting into dust?

Freedom Park: A dream melting into dust?
The Times of India

Bangalore: Year 2002: The Freedom Park was born. In the mind. Signifying freedom from imprisonment and serve as a lung space at the old Central Jail premises.
Early 2003: Discussion among the BCC, the BATF, horticulture department and representatives from the state government put thoughts to paper.
Mid-2003: The BCC invited landscape designers across the country to participate in a ‘national design competition’ to chalk out a plan for the Freedom Park with emphasis on providing access to children, senior citizens and wheelchair-bound, apart from parking facilities.
End-2003: Results were announced, architects chosen.
Early 2004: The blue-print of BCC’s ambitious 560-metre tall tower at the Freedom Park was given a green-signal by former CM S.M. Krishna.
Mid-2004: Tenders for developing the Freedom Park were invited.

But all that is history. At present, the rest of the story is a smudge. BCC officials state that the project to develop this 22-acre area is under consideration and the entire proposal was sent to the government about six-months ago.
Chief minister N. Dharam Singh announced on Tuesday that rallies and protests would be platformed only from the Freedom Park, but with the proposal itself gathering dust, the entire picture is rather unclear.

“Only after we receive the file from the government, can we move ahead. At present we are pulling down old dilapidated structures at the park and we have given a portion of it to the BDA as casting yard for the Anand Rao Circle flyover,’’ BCC officials said.

The total estimate for the Freedom Park has been totalled to Rs 7.5 crore which excludes the cost of the proposed world’s tallest tower — 560 meters high. “The estimate of the tower is about Rs 100 crore that will come up in the southwest corner of the park. The architects have also proposed groundwater recharge, solar lighting and rainwater harvesting,’’ officials stated.

The architect H.R. Vishwanath, who drafted the plan for this tower, has proposed a revolving cafeteria at a height of about 370 metres, where people can go and enjoy an uninterrupted view up to a radius of 100 kilometres around the city. For the record, not only would this tower be the highlight of Bangalore’s skyline, but will also beat the Torontos 553-metre tall Canadian National Tower, Petronas Towers at Kuala Lumpur (452 metres) and the Shanghai tower (507 metres).

But while all these are still skyhigh dreams, today’s Freedom park is full of slush, a common toilet for all and a free bed for prostitutes and their clients.