Udaya Raaga at Park irks residents

Udaya Raaga at Park irks residents
Deccan Herald

The classical music programme at the Harihareshwara Thimmesh Prabhu Park at Hanumanthanagar allegedly played at a volume surpassing 100 decibels is annoying many residents.

It was meant to be a project with a good intention, like sprucing up a locality and helping people relax. Though it has served these purposes to a large extent, it has also left many of the residents irritated.

In 1998, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) took the Harihareshwara Thimmesh Prabhu Park at Hanumanthanagar under its wing and gave it a facelift to convert it into a major leisure spot in the City. Apart from improving the landscaping and beautifying the ‘barren and rocky land’, colourful musical fountains and Udaya Raaga (morning raaga) programmes were introduced during the final stages of development to enhance its attraction.

But the morning music programme, often hailed as a platform for budding as well as established Carnatic singers to showcase their talents, is posing problem for the residents living near the park. The classical music programme that is allegedly played at a volume surpassing 100 decibels every Sunday between 6.30 am and 8.15 am is making the residents lose their sleep over it, literally.

Lazing around on Sundays or getting up late is almost an alien concept to most of us, said the residents in the vicinity of the park.

Anita M, an MNC employee whose house faces the park (4th Main, Basappa Layout), finds herself rudely woken up by the loud music from the speakers. “We have repeatedly asked them to reduce the volume to less than 100 decibels, but this has not been done. Further, during evenings, it is impossible to take our vehicles out of our car sheds with visitors parking right in front of our gates.” she said.

Difficult to study

That’s not all. The musical fountain, a major attraction that beckons visitors from all over Bangalore, has taken nightmarish qualities for these residents too.

According to Ms Vanitha Manjunath, the music blaring from the speakers between 7 pm and 7.30 pm is disturbing, as her daughter- an engineering student- finds it difficult to study due to the din created in the name of entertainment.

Mr M Rangashai, President of the Residents’ Welfare Association living near the park, said the residents were clueless about the noise pollution and disturbances that would ensue, when the project was initiated.

“No written consent was taken from the residents before launching the Udaya Raaga programme or the musical fountain project. We are not against music or entertainment but the loud music on Sundays is irritating,” he said.

The haphazard parking of visitors’ vehicles, swarming of vendors during evenings and the traffic chaos that follows, top the list of their woes. Also, lack of traffic constables to regulate parking and vehicular movement during peak hours only aggravates the problem, said some residents.

Incidentally, the ‘No parking’ board displayed on the road near the park is not taken seriously as several two-wheelers were seen parked just below it, when this reporter visited the area. Stray dogs in the park and lack of garbage disposal were some of the other problems.

Official version

When Deccan Herald contacted MLA K Chandrashekar who is also the area corporator (ward number 49), about the woes faced by the residents, he said a meeting was convened before initiating the projects but no written consent was taken from the residents at that point.

“Listening to classical music can have therapeutic effects and is a great stress buster. This project serves a larger cause and we have tried our best to not disturb the residents,” he said.