For a greener city…

For a greener city…
The Garden City is seeing an increase in the number of parks, especially in the south. Why not adopt one?


Acres of green space spread out across the city. An opportunity for some fresh air and peace of mind at the end of the day. Or a refreshing start to your day. Parks give Bangalore its unique identity among all the metros and whatever else it may be known for, it will always be the Garden City. And this year the government has allotted a budget of Rs 2 crores for the development of parks in Wards 57-66 or south Bangalore.

Development of parks
According to D M Subanna, Horticulture Superintendent, Bangalore (South), Jayanagar has 66 parks, including both developed and undeveloped. About 40 parks have been developed into landscaped parks. "Laxman Rao Boulevard in Jayanagar has tree parks on either sides of the road and such tree parks are found along 19 blocks. This year we are planning to develop Laxman Rao Boulevard into a landscaped park and Rs 2 crores has been sanctioned for this project exclusively," he states. The landscaping work is scheduled to start in a few weeks.

The Thavarekere Park in Jayanagar (Ward No 63) is another splendid green space that is spread over 17 acres and steps are being taken to maintain this property especially since the last few months. "Earlier, we were unable to even clean the park and water the plants since the number of parks is increasing each year. The number of horticulture gardeners is also dwindling. Today, we find that it's simpler and easier to outsource the maintenance of parks. Several of our landscaped parks are maintained by private contractors today," explains Subanna.

J P Nagar is also an impressive stretch of greenery including a mini-forest and in 2004, about Rs 27 lakhs was spent on developing and maintaining parks in this locality. This mini-forest, opposite the Jayadeva Flyover, comprises a stretch of eucalyptus trees that extends for about 2.5 km. Out of the 15 parks in the area, about 10 have already been developed into landscaped parks. A unique park found in J P Nagar is the Dhanavantri Udhyana Vana. This park is filled with medicinal and aroma plants. Another park that has just been fully developed is opposite Oxford school. It is in fact yet to be named and inaugurated.

The facilities made available in all these parks depend primarily on the size of the park. If the park is more than 4-5 acres, the design includes landscaping, civil and electrical components. Though not too much design goes into the developing of a small park, the authorities ensure that there's a pathway, adequate lighting, park benches, and in case of space, provide a walking or jogging track. Ornamental plants are planted depending on the requirement and the design plan.

Adopt a park
Parks can also be adopted by citizens to ensure that they are well maintained. Says Subanna, "residents' associations can and do come forward to adopt parks. There are 14 parks in the south zone that have been adopted and even private institutions have adopted them. We would like to increase the number of parks that are adopted. The procedure for adopting a park is simple - the people have to give a request letter to us and we will give it to the commissioner for approval. Once approval is given we will give out a certificate to them. The period for adoption will be between a year and three years," he explains.

This has helped in making the city greener.